Rio de Amor
by TFaTFreak207
Summary: After Dom is rescued from a life-sentence in Lompoc, he and the gang will travel to a new country to start over. While Dom copes with losing his love, someone on the other side of the island tries to adjust to life without a family. Without him.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Fast and Furious franchise, only the characters not recognized from the movies. I make no profit from this.

Title: Río de Amor

Author: Tfatfreak207

Rating: M

Feedback: Would be appreciated; criticism or praise, both are welcome.

* * *

**Chapter 1-Breaking Out**

The three cars sped toward the prisoner transfer bus. The Charger backed off, letting the NSX pass. It speed around, cutting off the bus.

"Damn kids!" the bus driver exclaimed, trying to maneuver around the sports car.

Dom looked out the window, hearing the familiar growl of a Charger. Peering out, he saw the charcoal grey car, the blonde driver smiling up at him. Dom smirked a she stood, along with the other prisoners and looked out the other window. He noticed Tego's 1977 Firebird speeding in the other lane.

"What the hell?" the bus driver said, noticing a lanky body standing out the Firebird's custom t-top roof.

A helmet hid the body's face, which gave Dom a bit of deja-vü.

The mystery person pointed a spear-gun at the truck, firing it into the window. Dominic then noticed a body crawling out of the Charger passenger window. He ducked just before the other spear penetrated the window, ripping it out of it's frame.

Simultaneously, flash grenades were tossed with east onto the bus. Luckily, Dominic was crouched down, his head in between his legs. The explosives went off, causing chaos and confusion. Looking over, Dom watched as one of the guards passed out, stunned. Making sure the other officer was occupied, Dom crawled to the downed guard, slipping the ring of keys off his belt.

"Mia, hit the brakes baby," Brian ordered into his CB radio. The plan was going without a hitch, which he couldn't be happier about.

Mia's NSX stopped abruptly, the bus swerving to avoid a collision. The driver struggled to regain control, mainly from his blinded eyesight. Two smoke grenades were tossed in the broken windows. Dominic quickly unlocked his cuffs and chains and ran to the front of the bus. Using all his strength, Dom kicked in the chain-link gate that blocked the prisoner's off from the door. He approached the only still-standing guard from behind, gripping his hand over the man's mouth. As the smoke expelled from the cans, it became increasingly hard to see and breathe. The guard's increased panic caused him to pass out quickly. The driver's body became limp, making the bus swerve off road. Dom fought to get the driver out the seat. Once that was completed, he tried to hold his breath as he steered the bus off the road. His eyes burned terribly as he tried to slow the vehicle, the desert road underneath unforgiving.

"Okay, guys, go get him," Brian ordered as the bus came to a halt.

Dom stood, trying to make it to the door. He realized he was screwed when his vision blurred and it became harder to breathe. He dropped to his knees, his hand clutching his throat in agony. He watched two masked people climb onto the bus just as his limp body fell to the floor.

"Get his legs," one of the men said as he grabbed Dom's arms..

"Fuck, he's still huge," the other one complained.

"Fucker has gotten bigger," the first one replied as they drug the dead weight off the bus. They carried him to the Charger, tossing him in the passenger seat. One of the men jumped in the NSX, while the other in the back of the Firebird.

The three cars sped off, trying to get as far away from the bus as possible. They knew the police would be arriving soon to assess the damage.

The crew drove to a small shack about fifteen minutes away from the scene, where they would store the cars. It looked rundown on the first glance, but further inspection would reveal a dock with several sports boats out back.

Dominic started to wake from his daze, but still found it hard to catch his breath. He slapped his huge hand on Brian's shoulder, making him flinch from the unexpected contact.

"Water … wa ..." Dominic forced, his throat itching like hell. Brian grabbed two water bottles, pouring one over Dom's head and into his eyes, trying not to think about his new leather seats. He opened and handed Dom the other to drink.

Dom guzzled the bottled fluid as if it were a cold beer.

"What the hell were you guys thinkin'?" Dom asked after he got his bearings.

"Hey, you did your part in Mexico, and I knew the Feds were gonna flip. So, I rounded up some folks to reward you for your help," Brian shrugged.

"By making us all fugitives now? Thanks," Dom sniped.

"Hey bro, just say the word and I'll take you back to that bus. Where you'll rot in jail for pretty much the rest of your life. Just say it," Brian threatened, starting the Charger back up. Dom grabbed his hand quickly, his grip tight.

"You ain't tired of taking my beating's yet?" Dom quipped, stepping out the car.

"Yeah, a 'thank you' would be appreciated," Brian yelled to Dom's retreating back.

Dom approached his sister, who stood with her hands on her hips, a cheeky smile on her lips. Dom grinned and hugged his baby sister tight.

"You let the buster corrupt you?" he whispered into her hair, taking in the strawberry scent.

"I wasn't gonna let you see the inside of Lompoc again," she explained.

Dom pulled out of the embrace, shaking hands with Tego. He gave a sincere thank you to his friend. Rico cheerily smiled as Dom pulled the younger man into a hug.

"What about some old friends?" a familiar voice called from behind Dominic. He froze in place, the screams of his former friend echoing in his mind, the way it had for years.

Dom turned around slowly, watching the new and improved Vincent pull off his helmet. Vince was thinner, leaner. He had close-cropped hair, but the same scruffy beard. Dominic's eyes went instantly to Vince's arm, where a very prominent scar wrapped around his right forearm. He was still the same Vince, but he had a different look in his eyes, one that Dominic couldn't pinpoint.

"Good to see you brother," Vince smiled, pulling his oldest friend in for a hug.

Dominic collected his emotions as that old "Coyote" smell hit his nostrils. He didn't think he'd ever see his best and oldest friend alive again. After the tragic truck heist, Dominic split, never coming into contact with anyone in the States again. He just assumed Vince hadn't made it from the amount of blood lost in the desert.

"What happened to you V?" Dom asked.

"I laid up in a hospital forever. Four months healing, six months rehab. As soon as I stepped out of the rehab center, cops had me in cuffs. Spent the last four years in Lompoc. Got out a few months ago," Vince replied, anger building in his voice.

Dom didn't reply, but only to prevent an inevitable confrontation with Vince. It would happen, he knew it.

"Hey now, don't hog him!" the other masked man exclaimed, shoving his way between the men. He lifted the scorching helmet from his head. Dom grinned, yanking ol' Leon into a hug. Leon didn't look much different, his curly dark hair still slicked back. He was thinner as well, but still had that muscular build to him.

"Where the hell you been? Mia said you split after everything cooled down," Dom questioned, never expecting to see Leon either.

"Well I did. Went back to New York to visit Jesse's family. Laid low there for a bit. That's when the buster located me, with the help of Mia. Told me there was one last job we had to do," Leon smiled, bumping knuckles with Brian.

"So you guys risked, and now pretty much ruined, the rest of your free lives to bust me out?" Dom asked, sincerely choked up by his twisted family.

"We've been doing it since we were teenagers. Not much has changed since then," Vince grumbled, tossing Dom a bag. "Clothes."

The tension between the friends was thick, and caused some worry with Brian. In order to get Dominic and the crew to their destination, he would need them to be solid and acting as one. He would need them to settle their issues soon.

"Hurry up guys, Tej has the jet waiting," Brian said, loading their things on the boats.

"Jet? Where we going?" Dom asked.

"We gotta make a stop in Miami, then we're going to Rio de Janeiro."

Dom had a cheeky grin instantly, "Brazil."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2-Miami and Rio**

After getting dressed in a white V-neck and khakis, Dominic left the shack and followed the noise out back. Once there, he watched as Brian held his hand out for Mia to hop aboard the boat. He looked out into the sea, admiring the beauty and breeze. He always did enjoy the water, especially with Letty by his side.

_Letty._

Dom sighed, thinking of his first and only love, Leticia Ortiz. It still hadn't hit him fully that his Letty was gone forever. That he would never see that greasy body roll under another car, or kiss those bright pink lips again. He ached to see her one last time, to tell her how sorry he was for everything. To tell her he loved her, because he hadn't did it enough while she was around.

"Dom, come on man!" Brian yelled from the boat. He followed Dom's gaze to the ocean, watching as Dominic's paws fumbled with his cross necklace. Brian jumped back to dry land and walked to the struggling giant.

Dom didn't acknowledge Brian's presence yet. He was afraid that if he took his eyes off the ocean, his memory of Letty would fade just as fast.

"She would love this view," Brian spoke softly, scanning his eyes across the water. "When she first came to me for help, she would often have me meet her at the beach. Sometimes it was to talk about the case, other times to talk about you. How much she missed you."

Dom nodded, finally breaking his trance with the water to look at Brian. Brian could not only feel the regret radiating off Dom's body, but he could see the sorrow in his deep brown eyes.

"Why'd you leave her behind? You had to know that a stubborn woman like Letty wasn't gonna just let you walk away from her like that."

Dom shrugged, "I dunno. All the trouble Letty had been in throughout her life was mostly because of me. Even when we were children, I always got her in situations that weren't in her best interest. I just wanted to give her a chance to make her own choice for once."

"Now I didn't know Letty very well, but I do know that no one could make her do anything she didn't want to. She was always right behind you from the jump. She would've given her life from you, for your freedom."

"Newsflash, O'Connor, she did."

To avoid getting further upset, Dom made his way to the boat manned by Tego. Vince and Rico tossed back a shot of hard liquor before releasing the docking ropes. Dom flopped down, using his bag of prison clothes as a pillow. He decided to catch up on sleep that he had missed over the past couple months. Much to his demise, he couldn't relax with glaring eyes on him. Peeking one eye open, Dom noticed Vince's anger from his body language. Although over the years, the two have had their scuffles, Dominic wasn't in the mood for one now.

"Problem?" he questioned, cross his arms over his chest.

"I was just thinkin'," Vince stated with a snarky smile, "How in the hell did you get this low?"

"Come again, V," Dom sat up.

"You left your entire family out to dry after you bailed on us. You left Mia without any contact for years. You left me in that hospital for months. You let me take the heat for your bullshit greed. Jesse died Dom! Or did you forget that?" Vince spat with bent-up frustration.

"You think I left because I wanted too? You think I went on a fucking vacation Vince? I have been running for almost five goddamn years without stopping! Always looking over my fucking shoulder for the FBI to put me away for life. _Life_, Vince. To constantly harass Mia about the dumb shit we were doing. So if that meant you or Leon having to a couple years in prison, then it is what it is. And trust me, I haven't forgotten about Jesse. Every morning and night I think about that kid. He was my responsibility and I let him down. And emotionally, I'll be paying for that for life. So if you don't mind, back the **fuck** off."

"You know what asshole," Vince stood, pulling off his shirt quickly, readying himself for battle. "It's because of your self-centered crap that Letty is gone. Because you got money hungry. All you had to do was lay-low Dom, not go jack gasoline trucks in the DR! And when the heat was on again, you left her out high and dry. And now you don't have her. None of us do. And Dom, I hope that eats you alive for the rest of your miserable life."

Dom knew Vince used Letty as a low-blow, and it worked. Dom flopped back down, the scent of the ocean washing away his anger. He hadn't noticed the tears rolling down his face until the cool breeze chilled his cheeks.

But he didn't care. He had yet cried for his loss woman, and at this point it was all he could do.

"Vince, I'm so sorry. I left because I thought she'd be safer without a walking target sleeping in her bed. But all I realize now is that she was always safe with me. I fucked up, and this time, I can't just give her a half-assed apology and shit be okay. Letty's gone V. Forever. Shit will _never_ be okay. I don't need you to remind me of that, cause every night I lay down alone, I know."

By now, Dominic's tears had soaked the top of his white shirt, and his heart ached like never before. Vince could tell the agony Dom was enduring, and decided their differences could wait. He walked to Dom and hugged him, his eyes fighting the sting of the tender moment.

"Thank you," Mia sniped sweetly as she collected her five dollar bill from Leon. Leon knew just how much Vince was holding on to for the past five years, and made a wager with Mia that the two men would duke it out before they made it to Miami. Mia knew no matter how upset Vince was, he had a soft spot for Dominic and would forgive him sooner. Mia won.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, she tied on her apron, dreading the beginning of another shift at the diner. She hated the smell, the obnoxious American tourists, and the sweaty, obese man who was her boss. Looking in the mirror, she wondered if all of this was worth it. She had managed to make it to Brazil within three months, but wasn't sure if this was her permanent home. She liked it, aside from her horrible job and living conditions, she enjoyed the beautiful ocean that surrounded the "hut" of a house, the culture was breathtaking, and the cars were … hot.

"Ortiz! You're up!" her boss screamed from the front. Rolling her eyes, she walked to the front of the diner.

"Hola, nós tomaremos um burrito travessa suprema, uhm ..." (_Hi, we'll take a supreme burrito platter) _the arrogant American fumbled through the Portguese language.

"Honey, just hurry. I wanna eat and get back to the suite. It smells bad in here," the man's wife said, scoffing in disgust.

"Babe, don't be rude," the man shushed.

"Oh please," she waived it off, "it's not like she can understand. We've been here for three days and haven't met anyone who speaks a lick of English. I seriously doubt she can."

The waitress bit her tongue to refrain from biting the woman's head off. She'd only had this job for a week, and it was her third one since her arrival. She took the rest of their order and returned to the kitchen.

"Manny, dê isto a especialidade," (Manny, give this the specialty) she smirked, handing the cook the order.

She watched the Brazilian man prepare the meal, adding his own "special spice". She grimaced as he spat a few times into the order.

A few seconds later, the Latina delivered the meal to the table with a sadistic smile on her face. She waited until the woman took a large bite out of her burrito before she spoke in English as clear as day.

"Just to let you know: I speak fluent English, you two are morons, and that food is doused with mucus. Have a nice fucking stay."

Just as she assumed, she was fired on the spot. _Great_, she thought, _how the hell am I gonna pay the Guzmans this week's rent?_ The Guzmans were her landlord's who agreed to take in the woman into their home until she could afford a place for herself. She was already behind on last week's rent, and if she couldn't put up at the end of this week, she'd have to resort to living on the streets … again.

Untying her apron, she disposed of it in a trashcan on her way to the public bus. Sadly, she had to sell her only car in Mexico for money that'd help her. Needless to say, it was all gone the first month. She counted the $150 she had made for the week she worked, and sighed. It was just enough to cover both weeks of rent, but she'd have to do without for other necessities.

"Leticia, você tem o alugar de última semana? We open our home to you and only ask for $75 a week. We can't-" (_do you have rent for last week?_) Mr. Guzman griped as soon as she entered the home.

"I know, Paco. I lost my job today. I just need-"

Paco huffed and interrupted her, "Oh mija, that's job number three!" he scolded. She had liked the Guzman's, and even got along with their four young children. She didn't want to disappoint them. Paco cupped Letty's pain-filled face, forcing her to look at him.

"You know you're welcome here as long as you need it. But you have to help out. Now, you say you know a little about cars, right?" Letty nodded. "Well I have a friend who owns a small shop outside of town. He just lost a worker and is short on hands. Think you can handle it?" He's a really tough guy, ya know, real ball-buster."

Letty smiled, thankful for the help. "Of course, Mr. Guzman. Obrigado seníor."

* * *

"Ah, Miami. The city of heavenly women," Leon's husky voice growled as the boats rolled onto the Miami shore.

The boats docked on a private shore. There were several other larger boats, along with het skis and scantily-clad babes roaming around the area. The gang tied their boats up and touched down on dry land for the first time in hours.

"Yo, yo! See you got your man," a tall, dark-skinnede guy with short hair approached.

"Don't I always?" Brian smiled, shaking hands with him.

"We'll it's a good thing. Rome is running up my grocery bill."

Brian laughed, turning to the group. "Guys, this is Tej Parker. He's an old friend. He's the one with the jet I was-"

A loud voice interrupted Brian. "Tej, you're out of wheat bread again, homie!"

"And that's Roman Pierce. My partner in crime for that past fifteen years," Brian introduced as Rome reached them. The group exchanged pleasantries, Roman and Dom sizing each other up for a bit longer.

"I got two boat houses four y'all. We'll rest for the night and head out early," Tej pointed out the boats, which were next to each other.

"What about the snatch? I haven't had a good woman's lovin' in a long ass time," Vince mumbled as a group of bikini-clad women passed by him with seductive smiles.

"I second that," Leon piped up.

"Come to the races tonight. There's always plenty of ..."

"Potential," Tej and Rome said simultaneously.

Dom's senses popped up at the mention of racing, He didn't want to do anything to get him noticed by law enforcement, considering he was a wanted man. They all were.

"You know what guys, go have fun tonight. I'ma call it a night early," Dom said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"But it's only 5:45 in the afternoon," Tego replied.

"That's why I said early, brother. See you guys in the mornin'."

"_Dominic ..." her voice called out to him. How could this be? She was gone from him, forever._

_Still, the soft tone spoke to him again._

"_Dom, come to me," he could hear how close she was. Soon, he could see her, standing in the surf. She wore a see-through lace top that stopped mid-thigh, showing off her white bikini underneath. The cool breeze swept her curly brown hair off her shoulders._

"_Letty, you're gone," he whispered as he reached her. She smiled up at him, all the love and passion she had for him shining through her dark eyes._

"_Never Dominic. I'll always be in your heart, papi. You just have to find me again."_

_Dom looked at her with confusion, "I dunno where to start baby. Where are you?"_

_She didn't respond but only smiled. She kissed his lips lightly, and just as quickly as she appeared, she was gone. Dom was left standing on a white beach, alone, screaming for his love to return._

"Dom! Dominic!" his body jarring woke him from his deep slumber. Looking up, he could see his sister standing next to him with a cup of coffee, a look of worry on her face.

He mumbled a thank you and sat up, sipping his drink slowly.

"Mi, that was so real. Like she was right there," Dom whispered. "I felt her lips."

Mia sighed, rubbing her brother's head like she had so many times when they were younger. "I know it's hard to deal with Dominic. It's still affecting all of us too."

Wanting to change the subject before his emotions took over, he searched for a new topic. "How was the races?"

"No different from home. V and Leon found some leeches for the night," she smiled and rolled her eyes. "They're tag-teaming the other boat for the night, so Tej offered Bri and I a different one."

"Sleeping in separate rooms right?" Dom asked with an eyebrow.

Mia rolled her eyes and ignored his question. "Tego and Rico hung around with Tej for a while, a big sex-crazed party is goin' on."

Dom nodded, not suprised by his boys. Another question came to mind ... "Why Rio?"

"Brian and Tego have some connections over there. We can live easier, drive better cars, and they have some gorgeous beaches. Brian figured you'd like that."

Dom nodded. He'd have to trust Brian's judgment, against his own.

For now.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews. P.S. I have no idea about the Portuguese I have in this story. It's basically just translations I looked up. I'm sorry if they are incorrect. But then again, I live in America and can barely speak English :D**

**Chapter 3-Welcome to Brazil**

"Letty, this is my friend, Gustavo Valentino. He owns this shop," Paco introduced Letty and the man. He was older, his rough hands and tanned skin showed off years of hard work. His grip on her hand was firm, but his gray eyes were kind and gentle.

"Obrigado pela oportunidade. Eu realmente preciso disto," _(Thanks for this opportunity. I really need this.)_

"Nonsense," he suprised her with his fluent English. "any friend of this old yap is a friend of mine."

Soon there after, Mr. Guzman was gone and Letty was to work, along with three other mechanics.

"So, Ms. Ortiz. What brings you to Brazil? Surely you're not from here," Gustavo questioned from under the hood of a car.

Letty wasn't sure how much of her life she should share, "Just trying something new," she replied shortly. Gustavo could tell by the tone of her voice that she was lying, but if she wasn't ready to talk, he wouldn't push.

After a few hours of hard labor, Letty's life seemed ... normal. The shop dynamic was much different than the one back home, and it surely wasn't holding _his_ presence, but it'd have to do.

Later that night, Letty lay awake in the dark in the basement of the Guzman home. She listened as the children, between ages two and six, rambled throughout the house. Letty silently thanked God that she didn't have any children to make her situation harder. Plus, they were a pain in the ass.

Closing her eyes, Letty again wondered how she had gotten here. Just four months ago, her life had been amazing, living in the Dominican Republic with her longtime boyfriend and pals, enjoying the fast money and quick thrill of jacking. Then one night, she woke up, and he was gone.

Poof. Just like that.

Left with only a stack of cash and his adorned silver necklace, Letty felt truly alone. Han bailed soon after, mentioning something about Tokyo and a "vacation", leaving Letty to herself. She packed up Dom's Grand National and headed back over the border. She figured the statute of limitations had to be ending soon anyways. She found Mia still at the fort, and stayed there until she figured out a plan. Somehow, she bumped into Brian O'Connor, the man who turned her life upside down to begin with. She agreed to help bring down an infamous drug lord in exchange for Dom's freedom.

She just wanted him to stop running and come home. That's all Letty truly wanted; Dom. But things made a turn for the worst. She knew Campos was shady, and Felix was all bad news. Once the drop was complete, Felix began offing the drivers one-by-one. She fled, unknowing that Felix was tailing her. He performed something similar to a PIT maneuver, causing her Roadrunner to flip. Hurt and damaged, Letty managed to crawl through the passenger side of the car and out to the road. She crawled as far away as her injured body would allow her. Finding a tiny cave, she watched as Felix unloaded a magazine into the burning engine of the car. Soon, Letty watched her baby explode into only memories of it's former shell.

Dom had built the Roadrunner, and left it in the Toretto shed for Mia. Weeks after she healed, she managed to hide out until she could get out of Mexico. She boarded a full, immigrant-run boat and sailed back to South America. She made stops in Colombia, Peru, and Uruguay before settling in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

On her way there, she had saw on a news channel that Arturo Braga (known to her as Campos) had been captured, with the help of FBI agents and Dom Toretto. She witnessed his televised-worldwide sentencing of 25-to-life, and literally felt her heart shred to pieces. All her life, she had adored the man "who could outrun anybody", and that feat had been crumbled. Gone, within a matter of two months. All the hard work she had put in, had been a waste because he had been caught.

This time, he couldn't outrun the pigs.

A part of her felt smug, telling herself that she was right; that he couldn't successfully run without her. It was selfish, yes, but the jerk deserved it for leaving her in the middle of the night.

The crying of the youngest Guzman child brought Letty back to reality. She was alone, again. And tired.

She was fucking exhausted.

The next morning, Letty's ill body woke her. She hurried to the facilities, barely making it as she began emptying her stomach contents into the toilet. She didn't move until the dry heaves ended. Standing, Letty moved to the sink, washing her mouth out. Looking in the mirror, she noticed how pale her complexion had been, considering how much time she spent in the Brazilian sun.

Believe it or not, this wasn't the first morning that Letty had awaken puking her guts out. It had been a few weeks now. She wrote it off with the culture's food at first.

Then, it started her thinking. She hadn't been intimate with anyone since Dom left her in Panama City. Her menstrual cycle had been off, but it was always irregular. She started to notice a considerable amount of weight gain, but again, chalked it up to the Brazilian cuisine.

She hoped and prayed it wasn't what the back of her mind was telling her. That was just extra stress she did _not_ need.

* * *

"When is the next break? My fucking legs are sore," Vince griped from his seat on the 12-seater private jet.

"Why don't you quit whining bruh? The less stops, the quicker we can land," Roman entered, shoving another sandwich bite into his mouth.

Vince stood, completely fed up with the sarcastic, loud-mouth man. They had butted-heads since meeting two days ago.

"Was I fucking talking to you?"

"You're _whining_ out loud," Rome corrected.

"Both of you, shut up!" Brian yelled from the front of the plane.

Having to get the last word, Roman replied, "You shut up Brian!"

"Like two goddamn kids," Dominic muttered as he sat with his eyes closed, enjoying the flight while he could.

They were on day two of the flight to Brazil, and everybody was ready to be on dry ground again. Normally, it would only take a couple hours to fly out from Miami, but Tej measured the gas gauge wrong, and they barely made it to Peru without having to land. After refilling, they spent a night out on the city to enjoy the new environment. Now, they were back in the air, on the way to a new start in life.

Three hours later, Dom's sleep was discontinued by Roman's scream of joy.

"What's your complex Roman?" Dom growled, the sleep in his voice making it sound more intimidating. Mia grabbed Dom's head, turning it towards the window.

Dom gazed in awe at the beautiful blues and greens of the Atlantic ocean. The waves were large, a thriller-seekers dream. He could see many tents and islands of bars and cuisines along the coastline.

"Beautiful," he whispered, unable to take his eyes off his new home. Still, he wasn't sure just how he'd cope living in paradise without his Letty.

Twenty minutes later, they were landing on a private airbase, surrounded by mountains and clear blue sky, where a few locals were waiting nearby.

"Ay! Welcome to Brazil!" a man smiled as the guys unboarded the plane.

Brian cheesed as he shook hands with the man. Tej and Roman followed suit, exchanging pleasantries with the group of people.

"Guys, I want you to meet some old friends. This is Julius Florentino, but back home he goes by Orange. He used to run with us in Miami. He has a place here for us. The woman right there, that's Daisy, one of the greatest mechanics and the fastest female racers I know," Brian gushed about the woman.

_Wrong_, Dom thought to himself.

"Nice to meet you, pretty lady," Leon smile, kissing her hand. He wasn't kidding; the woman was a beauty. With her long dark hair, and pretty hazel eyes, she was a true knockout. Add on her perfect smile, 5'11" frame, and a deep tan, and she was the epitome of every man's dream.

"Also," Orange stepped in front of Daisy protectively, "my baby sister."

Daisy placed her hand under Leon's chin, pushing his mouth close. "There ya go."

Dom chuckled and turned his attention to the last person, a face he hadn't intended on seeing again. The long-legged Israeli woman smirked at him.

"What're you doin' here?" Dom asked while looking over her. While he turned down her advances in Mexico, he couldn't ignore her beauty.

"Well I heard you got locked up so I contacted Brian to see if it was true. He told me that you guys were coming here, so I figured I'd come see how you were. Plus, Brian said he has a job for me."

Dom turned to the blonde man, raising a curious brow at him.

"She said she had some hook-ups here in Rio," Dom continued to stare at Brian, waiting for him to clarify. "Cars."

"Dom," Mia spoke, "who is she?"

Dom turned to his sister, who didn't look happy. He knew exactly what she was thinking, but ignored the confrontation.

"This is Giselle. She helped Brian and I in Mexico. Giselle, this is Mia, Leon, and Vince. Some members of my old crew."

"Some?" Giselle quizzed.

"Some." Dom repeated, not wanting to go into a conversation on his lost comrade.

When Giselle reached out to shake Mia's hand, the Italian woman only half-assed waved. Dom gave her look to say it would be discussed later.

"What do you guys say we get you settled, then tonight … we party!" Orange cheered, trying to break the tension.

"Let's do that, cause I need me one of these sexy ass Brazilian females," Rome eyed up Daisy, who only rolled her eyes in response.

"Trust me Rome, there are plenty to go around," Orange grinned, spreading his arms out wide. He tossed his arm over Daisy's shoulder protectively. She looked over her shoulder, giving Leon a sultry wink.

"I love her," Leon said in a dazed. Vince laughed, smacking his friend in the back of his head.

"C'mon, dumbass."

* * *

Letty tightened the headers on an engine, ignoring the beads of sweat dripping down her face. Even though it was getting late in the evening, it was still a sweltering 94 degrees, even with four fans going. It was almost time for the shop to close, but this was her fourth car of the day and she was on a roll. Besides, she had the rest of the evening to rest.

"Ay, chica! Psst! Chica!" one of the other mechanics tried to get Letty's attention. She ignored him purposely, solely focused on her work. She didn't need any distractions when it came to her cars. But when the man continued, she dropped her wrench, giving him a death glare.

"Yes?" she muttered through clenched teeth.

The man fumbled, clearly intimidated by the tough woman, "Uhm, me and the boys noticed how … tense, you seem."

"Oh really?" she raised an eyebrow, slightly amused. These were young kids, probably around Jesse's age.

"Yeah," the guy smiled, happy that Letty was showing something other than anger. "There's this huge party on the coast that we're going to, you know, if you wanna hang out."

Letty hesitated, curious of the boy's intentions. She wasn't the type to frighten easily, so they weren't a problem. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to trust anyone just yet. Any moment of vulnerability could result in danger.

"Any of you got a car?"

Two hours later, Letty was dressed and ready to go. It finally cooled down, so she decided that white slacks and a brown tank would do her fine. She swept her hair back into a high ponytail and tossed on a white leather jacket, ready for the night. She waved goodbye to the Guzman's as she walked out the door, stopping at the stairs to a pleasant surprise.

A blue 1970 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda and one she wasn't too familiar with, a green '68 Chevrolet Opala sat parked in front of the shack, shining in all their glory. Letty's heart thumped at the sight of the muscle beauties, and she found herself in a trance.

"Letty! Come on, it takes a bit to get to the coast," the driver, Thiago, yelled from the car. Letty snapped out of it and walked to the first car, the Hemi.

"These are some sick ass rides, Kid," Letty complimented, admiring the beauty of the interior.

"Gracias," Thiago smiled proudly. "There's not much around here, but if you dig hard enough, there's a whole underworld of these things. Anderson and I just happen to luck up on these two."

Thiago wasn't exaggerating about the travel time. It took them almost an hour getting to the party, which Letty concluded was way better than the ones back in L.A. There were hundreds of people invading the coast-side bars and pubs, dancing and entertaining with their cars. For a distance, Letty couldn't spot one import car, every one being classic muscle.

Aside of that, Letty couldn't keep her eyes off the beach. The way the greens and blues of the water contrasted with the white sand nearly took her breath away. The lights from the bars lit up the waters beautifully, making Letty happy of her choice of Brazil.

"Alright menínos, go have fun. But meet back here at two AM," Thiago ordered, stepping out the car to release two other boys in the back. The green Opala emptied out four other guys. Thiago watched as Letty stood by the car staring at the water, completely fixated on the geography. He followed her gaze and smiled; newcomers always got sucked in by the ocean. "Beautiful, ain't it? Yeah, this is our secret spot. Only the locals know about this area of the island, and we like it that way. It's our own personal escape."

"I could get used to this," Letty simply replied.

* * *

"Dom, you take longer than a girl!" Leon's voice yelled from downstairs in the home they were all sharing.

Dom pulled on his cross necklace to complete his outfit for the night. He hadn't wanted to, but the gang talked him into coming out the local's ocean-side bonanza. So now, dressed in white pants and a white button-down shirt, Dom was ready to tackle this event. Descending the stairs, he saw his nicely-dressed gang standing at the foot of the landing, chatting amongst each other. He felt a pair of eyes on him, and found them belonging to Giselle.

She wore skinny jeans and a tank that showed off her midrift. She topped it with a black bomber jacket and high-heels that made Dom drool.

Yeah, Giselle was fucking sexy.

He ignored the tightness her looks caused his jeans as he reached the group.

"How's the cars coming along?" he asked her to focus on something other than her breasts.

She followed his sight, and pressed her chest out that much more. "I got an old friend who runs a dealership down under. He owes me a couple favors, so I called them in. He delivered me five earlier, but until you guys figure out the living situations, we'll worry about the rest later."

Dom smiled with a nod. He would need to work on not wanting Giselle.

Orange waved the group out to the large shed behind the house. There, an orange RX7 sat next to a white Subaru Impreza WRX, a lowered Scion XA, a Buick Roadmaster, a metallic BMW M5, and to Dom's delight … a '74 Chevy Nova with 4'' hood scoop.

"Grab 'em and growl, fellas. The Mazda is mine," Orange held up a ring of car keys. Daisy leaned against the Mazda, watching with amusement of what each would choose. She could always tell a man by the kind of car he drove.

"You ladies fight over the others, I want the BMW," Roman chuckled, leaning on the hood to claim it as his. He caught a pair of keys, and unlocked the doors for he and Tej.

"That's cool man, too much flash for me," Brian replied, leaning on the Impreza. Mia gave Brian a nod of approval as she slid in the car with him.

"That Buick's got some style," Tego and Rico shook hands, both admiring the low car. Rico jumped in the driver's seat, playing with the hydraulic switches.

"We're taking the Scion. Jesse would love it," Leon spoke, circling the car to get a good look at the paint job. Vince agreed, itching to pop the hood in memory of their loss friend.

"Guess that leaves me with the Nova," Dom grinned, the car glimmering almost in a smile back.

"And I guess that leaves me with you," Giselle smiled, sauntering over the classic before Dom had time to object.

He was loving the cat-and-mouse chase she gave him. Maybe she was more like Letty than he thought.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for the reviews loves! Keep them coming, and I'll keep the chapters coming. Enjoy._

**Chapter 4-Meet Fabiana**

Dom and his gang rode to the party in style. From the curious looks Giselle kept giving him, he knew she wanted to talk.

"So Dominic, what's your story? How did you become such a hot commodity?"

Dom smirked. It was interesting when it was put that way.

"When I was young, I was dumb. Made stupid decisions. Guess much hasn't changed."

Giselle placed her hand on Dom's thigh, feeling how taut and muscular it was. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

Dom looked at her hand and grinned. She was persistent, he liked that. But he wasn't ready to be involved with anyone. Letty was still too much of a fixture in his life and he wasn't ready to let go just yet.

"Look Giselle, I can't-" he began to let her down gently. She held up her hand to stop him.

"I know Dom. I know Letty was your woman. Some woman she was. She was tough, always riling Felix up and pissing him off. She knocked Tyson on his ass many times and often got in my face to tell me how it was. But she was a passionate driver. I always rooted for her in the races."

He could hear the sincerity in her voice, and smiled again. That sounded like his Letty, alright.

"You did a good thing, trying to avenge her death. You're a good man. Don't waste it because you're afraid to let go."

Dom watched as she opened the car door, blending in with the party-goers. Dom was in such a trance that he hadn't noticed that they had reached their destination. Looking around, he took in the many tuners and imports. He watched how the event stretched on for miles down the coast, the line of imports ending almost a quarter-mile away. He made a mental note to travel to the muscle-car section of the party.

"Yo Dom! You see this place?" Rico smiled as he walked to Dom, a pretty girl on his arm already.

"Enjoy yourself," Dom patted him on the back with a chuckle.

Dom walked to a nearby bar, which was occupied by Brian and Tej.

"Brian, this is probably the best decision you've ever made," Dom muttered as the bartender asked for his drink order. "Do you have Corona, sweetheart?"

The young girl smiled sweetly and nodded. "Funny, we don't get many of these requests on this side of the island."

"I'm a simple guy," he replied with a wink, taking his open drink.

"Bullshit," Brian interrupted with a laugh.

"So, Dom Toretto, heard a lot about you. You're the big man on campus ," Tej said to Dom. Being the ringmaster in Miami racing, Tej had always heard about the "crazy locos" in L.A that raced under the notorious Dominic Toretto.

"That's what they say."

"I was that for Miami, you know. Winning all the money and getting all the honeys. That's how I got all my toys. Then I put my car into a wall and ruined it all."

"He's really holdin' on to that," Brian entered with a chuckle.

"Hell yeah, I am. I coulda still had my throne, then this white boy came along."

"Yeah, he has the worst timing, doesn't he?" Dom and Brian exchanged looks. "But you're telling me that Brian is the king in Miami?"

"Hey Dom, you gotta give me a little more credit. I would've smoked your ass in Braga's race if you didn't get all sissified."

Dom shrugged, ordering up shot of tequila. He would let go of his worries tonight and enjoy himself.

* * *

Letty was on her third soda, and was becoming increasingly irritated. She needed alcohol like she needed air right now, but with her current situation still being unknown, she wasn't going to be careless. She wouldn't put her possible unborn child in harms way for a little liquor.

Instead, she would focus on enjoying the cars, and the ocean. This was the first time in over five years that she was able to relax, have fun, and not have to look over her shoulder every second. Sure, she was lonely without her boys with her, but it was a life she'd have to adjust too.

"Hey pretty lady," a voice called from behind her. She rolled her eyes, mentally counting the fifth guy trying to pick her up since her arrival an hour ago. She wasn't looking for some random lay, she just wanted to have a good time.

"Lemme guess, you've never seen me here before, therefore, I must be new to this town. You're one of the cool kids and would like to show me more of the island? Well, let me save you the trouble," Letty downed her drink and swirled around. "don't … bother."

Letty's breath was literally taken away by the beauty of the man in front of her eyes. He was, as they say, tall, dark and handsome. He had dark skin, but it was impossible to miss his tattoo-covered biceps, which were the size of boulders. He was clean shaven, without a lash of hair on his face or scalp. Her eyesight traveling low, she could see his six-pack through his wife beater.

"Feel better?" he asked as Letty's eyes finally met his.

Letty nodded slightly, her body buzzing as he revealed his perfect white smile. He was a ten, all around.

"My name is Roman Pearce," he reached out to take her hand, shaking it gently.

By his clear accent, she could tell he wasn't native to Brazil. She was swooned, for sure, but she wasn't about to give her full name to this guy she didn't know.

"Fabiana Dominguez," Letty replied, shaking his large, but soft hands. It wasn't a lie; Fabiana was her middle name, and Dominguez was her mother's maiden name.

"Fabiana, I like that," he replied, her name rolling off his tongue beautifully. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Nope," Letty said as he took a seat next to her at the bar. Roman was taken back by the quick rejection. "But, since I'm having a rough time, you can dance with me," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him out to the sand, where many others were dancing to the soft, Spanish music.

Rome placed his hands on Letty's hips as she swayed to the salsa-like music. Letty admired his ability to adapt, and enjoyed that he wasn't that bad of a dancer either.

"Where are you from, Roman Pearce?" she questioned. It wouldn't hurt to get to know him.

"Miami. Came here with some friends to drop off some folks. But who knows, I'm starting to _love_ Brazil," he smiled sweetly, spinning her around. He chanced a glance at her backside, which he gave a mental 'thumbs up' to. "What about you?"

"All over," she said simply. "But I hail from California."

"Ah," he nodded. He took in her face, completely speechless at her beauty. She had long, curly brown hair and deep brown eyes. A huge fan of lips, he had to refrain himself from latching on to the full, pink ones in front of him. Her make-up was light, not caked on like most of the Miami chasers, and he liked that.

Roman thought Letty was utterly flawless, and to Letty, the feeling was mutual.

* * *

It was 1:00 AM, and half of the crowd had dispersed from the event. The mood was calmer now, as he, Tego, Vince and Tej occupied the edge of the beach. They didn't mind sitting in the white sand, as the breeze and scenery of the water was too much to pass up.

"Where's the others?" Dom questioned, having not seen Brian or Mia for a while.

"Brian and Mia went to one of the private pubs," Vince answered, not seeming too happy about it. Dom looked over at his friend, noticing his disappointment. Sure, Mia had been a sore subject with Vince for years, but he still hadn't approved of her relationship with Brian. "Last I saw Le, he was following Daisy around like a lost puppy."

"Rome traveled with Orange down to the muscle cars to look around," Tej entered, taking a drag off his cigarette.

"What about-"

"Me?" a voice called from behind the men. Turning, he could see Giselle standing behind him, a simper on her face. She walked to Dom and kneeled down behind him. "Since I can't have you, yet..." Dom's throat dried as her breath hit his neck. "Can I at least get a dance?"

Dom caught Vince's eyesight, and instantly regretted it. Vince's face reddened with anger, no doubt upset by Dom's behavior. Vince didn't want Dom getting close with any female, considering he had just lost his long-time lover months ago. To Vince, it was a huge slap in the face.

"I guess I can do that," Dom replied, his eyes still on Vince. He stood and Giselle took his hand, leading him away from the boys.

Giselle wrapped her arms around Dom's neck as their bodies moved in rhythm. Dom could smell the cocoa scent of perfume she wore, and it made his nostrils go insane.

"So I take it your friends don't really like me," Giselle said with a smug grin.

"They're protective."

"Of who? You? Or Letty?"

"Both," said Dom. "She was like their sister. Letty and I were together since she was sixteen. We had a lot of ups and downs, but we were good for each other. But she was bitchy, paranoid, confrontational."

"Tell me about it," Dom chuckled. He figured Letty had given Giselle a piece of her mind. "You liked that?"

"I loved it. It was her way of keeping me in line, and it worked sometimes. Letty was a good woman though. Loyal, protective, caring. She stood by my side through everything, and never judged me."

"What happened? Why'd you two split up?"

"You said it yourself, I'm a hot commodity. I've been a wanted man for over five years, and she was right behind me through it all. The cops were closing in, I left to give her a chance for a free life. I wasn't taking her down with me. So, I left."

Giselle looked in his eyes, surprised to see him on the brink of tears. Just as quickly, he blinked and they were gone. Giselle gave a small smile, laying her head on Dom's shoulder as they moved to the smooth jazz music.

Dom pulled Giselle closer, just enjoying the warmth and comfort her body gave him. He wasn't sure how he felt about Giselle. Sure, she was gorgeous and smart, but he didn't know her.

_Would it hurt to __**get**__ to know her?_ He questioned himself. _Brazil __**IS **__about new beginnings, after all._

He would have to sleep on it.

An hour later, the group were standing next to their collective cars, ready to head back home.

"We're missing one," Tej said as he waited by the BMW for his driver.

"Orange, you seen Rome?" Brian asked.

"He met some chick down the strip. I told him I was comin' back, but he didn't listen," Orange said with his heavy accent.

"We can pick him up on the way out," Vince said as he slid into his car.

"No way, buddy. Those dudes get pissed when a tuner ends up in their mix. Dom's got the only muscle, so he'll have to go."

Dominic rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood to babysit Roman, considering they hadn't particularly bonded after meeting. He asked Giselle to wait for him while he sped to the "Muscle" strip of the party. Dom jumped in his Nova and kicked up the speed, happy that the roads were clear enough to fly through. He had to slow down tremendously as he reached the area, as more cars occupied this scene. He cruised slowly, trying to find the tall man through the crowd.

Ready to give up, Dom turned and put the car in reverse. Looking through the rear-view mirror, he watched as Rome stood with his arms around a woman. He kissed her hand, then kissed her cheek. Dom couldn't make out the woman's face due to her back being to him, but he saw her long, dark hair. Dom's heart dropped when the woman turned to get in the car, a big smile on her face.

It couldn't be. She was gone. She died in Mexico five months ago, there was no way in hell that she was here. In Brazil. On the same island. At the same event. There was no chance.

_But it looked like her._ The long dark hair … the smirk.

"I need to fucking sleep," Dom muttered, running his hand down his face.

First the dreams, now he was seeing her, here in Brazil. He definitely needed to rest.

Frustrated with himself, he laid on the horn, getting a few looks from bystanders.

"Fuck are you lookin' at?" he barked, scaring them away.

Roman jogged to the car, sliding in the passenger seat. He grinned from ear to ear.

"Who was that woman?" Dom couldn't stop the words from flowing from his mouth.

"Don't worry about it," Roman said, but without malice.

"What – what was her name?" Dom said through clenched teeth.

"No way bruh, that's mine. I've seen your Casanova act. I ain't giving you the opportunity-"

"Rome!" Dom barked loud enough to rattle the interior of the car. "I'm not tryin' to fuck her, I just want her damn name."

"Fabiana! Fabiana Dominguez. Look man, I don't know what your problem-"

Dom tuned the rest of Roman's rant out as he pulled off. He sighed with relief, happier knowing that he was going insane than actually seeing her here.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5-A New Shop**

It had been two weeks since Letty went out to the race bash, and needless to say life seemed a little better for her. Work at the garage was great, she missed being underneath a car. She was able to catch up on rent for the Guzman's, which got them off her back for now. And she met Roman.

Roman was all man. Tough, muscular, stubborn. My kind of man. He reminded me a lot of _him_.

He was a racer from Miami, knew a lot about cars, and could eat Vince under a table.

Letty winced under the hood of the car. Her old family was still a subject she didn't want to address, though it was becoming increasingly difficult to forget about them. They were all she had since she was twelve years old, and she missed them terribly. Especially Jesse.

She could remember the first time she met Jesse.

_**April 1994**_

"_Dom, this isn't a good idea," Vince warmed Dom as they snuck out his bedroom window after him._

"_Yeah, man," entered Letty, "This doesn't feel right."_

_Dom dropped to the ground, his feet landing perfect. "Both of you, shut."_

_The three quickly ran around the corner, where a Toyota Celica sat parked, waiting. It was Dom's car that he won in a slip's race borrowing Hector's car. Of course, Mr. Toretto was strictly against the teen's street racing, but once they caught the bug, it was hard to stop._

_But tonight, there was eerie feeling in the air. Something wasn't right. But Dom's wasn't listening._

_Go figure._

_The three jumped in the car and sped out to the warehouses, where the night life was in full swing, though the size wasn't nearly as large as it would be. Parking next to Hector, the teens jumped out and made their way to the junked car, where race negotiations were made._

"_Ey, Toretto! Glad to see you made it," Hector smiled, shaking hands with Dom. There was a tall, lanky boy standing next to Hector, dressed in all black with a white beanie on. "Dom, this is Leon. He's from out of town and used to run police scanners back home at his races. Figured he would be useful around here."_

_Dom and Vince shook hands with Leon, who kept quiet aside from a nod. _

"_Anyways. Tran and his boys aren't here tonight, so you're in charge. How we runnin' tonight?"_

"_One race. Um, we got ..." Dom pulled the small wad of cash out of his pocket. "300 bucks?"_

"_Good enough. One race, 300$ buy-in!" Hector yelled through a megaphone._

"_I'm in!" yelled a scrawny kid with shaggy hair. He was about three years younger than Dom and Vince._

_Dom and Vince slapped hands, laughing at what they thought was easy money._

_Two other rookies joined in and the four cars lined up at the line. It was a tight race, but Dom beat Jesse's old Honda Accord by half a length. Dom went back to collect his winnings from Hector. He split up the money, giving the three of them 400 dollars a piece._

_Before the racers had time to celebrate, Leon was on the walkie-talkie, warning of cops._

_Dom,V, and Letty freaked. This was the first time that the cops had come to bust up the races since they started, and they hadn't thought of a plan to escape. Dom knew his Celica was fast, but it wasn't that fast. If any of them got arrested, Mr. Toretto would have Dom's head._

"_Dom, follow me!" Jesse barked as he slid back in his car._

_Without further question, the three teens jumped in Dom's car and sped off after Jesse. Ten minutes later, they were pulling up to a trailer park a few minutes away from Echo Park. Already parked there was a white Jetta and a blue Chevy Cavalier._

"_Hey man, thanks for the help," Letty said, shaking Jesse's hand. He smiled wide, despite just losing his money to the teens. Letty couldn't help but grin at the kid._

"_Glad to see you got out, bro!" Leon said, running over from the Cavalier._

"_Shit, I told you those cops couldn't stop me. I'm surprised he could," Jesse said, nodding over to Dom._

"_You two know each other?" Dom asked with a curious brow._

"_Yeah, Leon is my cousin. He just moved here from Texas."_

"_Dude, no offense, but you're runnin' with a girl?" Leon asked with a chuckle. Where he was from, girls stood on the sidelines looking pretty, not behind the wheel._

"_Yeah, so what?" Letty stepped to him, never the one to take crap from any guy._

"_Hey Le, ahut up! I bet she could smoke your ass," Jesse defended. Letty smiled again._

_She would get along with Jesse just fine._

_After another hour of chatting, the group of kids realized that they had much in common. They agreed that they wanted to be the baddest racers around, and they wanted a team behind them._

"_Why don't we all start a team? You know, race together?" Jesse suggested excitedly. Letty wasn't sure why, but Jesse kept a smile on her face all night._

"_Doesn't sound like a bad idea, Dom," Vince agreed. "Jesse's good with the technical shit. Leon can run the scanners and he already has experience. Come on D."_

_Dom pondered the situation, but soon agreed. The five of them would get together and create a legendary status on the blacktop._

Letty found herself grinning at the memory of the kid, but it soon wiped away. It saddened her that the young boy who brought them together as a family was the one who lost his life in their foolish behavior. He was gone, at the tender age of twenty-one and Letty couldn't find it in herself to cope.

Just as tears came to her eyes, her stomach had had enough of her ignoring it's demands to be emptied again. But Letty was quick enough, and made it to the bathroom in time to dispose of it's contents. After a few minutes of puking, she decided that enough was enough.

"Maria!" she yelled from the bathroom. The Guzman wife rushed to the bathroom, where she found Letty hugging the toilet.

"Oh mija, what's the matter?" the woman said, placing the back of her hand to Letty's forehead. "Oh meu deus!" she exclaimed, retrieving a washcloth from the shelf and wetting it, placing the cool fabric against Letty's face.

"Maria, is there a hospital anywhere around here?" Letty asked, leaning into the cloth. It felt good against her burning skin.

"Yes. Get dressed, I'll drive you," Maria hurried out the bathroom before Letty could object.

"Fuck me," Letty whispered.

* * *

"Boys! Wake up!" Mia yelled from the kitchen. With Giselle at her own place a few blocks away, Mia fell back into the routine of cooking breakfast for a house full of men. Brian had already been awake, nursing a cup of coffee for his hangover he was enduring. Ten minutes later, the large kitchen was loaded with bodies, ready to start the day off right. "Please don't make a mess guys."

"Mia, will you stop yelling please?" Vince griped, holding his head in agony.

"Gracias, Mia! Delicíoso!" Orange managed with a mouth full of eggs. Mia smiled her reply, sipping her hot coffee. She turned to the window, enjoying a beautiful view of the ocean and large mountains. She could smell the saltwater from the house, and instantly knew they had made the right choice coming here.

"Tej, you guys ready to head off?" Brian asked from across the large table.

"I am, but somebody's love-drunk," Tej nodded towards Rome, who grinned with his mouth full, revealing it's contents. "Trust me, the women are good lookin'. But I got too much of a business to run back home to play Romeo and Juliet."

"Rome, you stayin'?" Brian asked.

"Why not? Ain't shit for me back home in Miami. Making a couple thousand here and there, living in his boat house? No thank-you. I'll chill here for a while."

"We're thinkin' about goin' back too Dom," Tego piped up, nodding Rico. "I mean, we got no warrants..."

"In the States," Rico joked, the lot of them laughing. "But Tej said maybe we can hook up with a couple racers, get a team flowin'. Make some cash."

"You two are the slowest racers around," Dom teased. "But good luck guys." Tego flipped Dom off, shaking his head at him.

"Julius, I guess now would be a good time to tell them," Daisy smiled, looking over at her brother. It was the first time that morning that she had taken her eyes off Leon, who kept contact on her.

"Tell us what?" Dom grovelled from his coffee.

"Nothing big. I'm moving out. My baby's mother wants to get a smaller place a little closer to town."

"What about this place?" Brian asked.

"You guys can have it if you want. It's no biggie. Won the deed in a poker game from some high-roller. That's actually how I got the place I'm moving to," Orange shrugged as if it were nothing. To him, it wasn't. He was experienced in the business of poker, blackjack, and counting cards. He'd won plenty of extravagant things since his move to Brazil.

"You can't be serious, bro. Nobody would just hand off a place like this. It's huge," Vince reasoned with slanted eyes. He wasn't one to trust anyone, and that included Daisy and Orange.

"Yeah, I'm with V. This place is way too beautiful to just give away like it's not a big deal," Mia agreed.

"What do you want?" Dom said from his spot at the end of the table. "What do you want in return?"

Julius shrugged, "Nothing much. My father owned two garages while living here, but he couldn't run them both, you know. Got low on cash. So I bought the deed of one of them from him. Figured I could get it up and running, help the old man, ya know? But I'm not that great of a mechanic and these scumbags around here aren't trustworthy."

"And you want us to run it," Dom finished for him.

"Yeah, why not? You guy's are mechanics right?"

"Yeah, but how do we know this is legit? I ain't signing my name on shit that's illegal. Got enough problems as it is," he mumbled the last part to himself.

"I'll take you guys there today. After breakfast. I'll show you for yourself. I'll even call my papi today and let you talk to him."

"Doesn't sound bad Dom. We could use a fresh start," Leon piped up from the first time.

"Let's get changed and head out. We'll figure it out from there."

While the others ran off to get changed, Leon and Daisy sat in the large kitchen, exchanging flirty looks. To Daisy, Leon was absolutely breathtaking, but she wouldn't let him know that.

Daisy had plenty men throw themselves at her, she was used to it. She had men offer to fly her around the world, buy her the greatest of gifts, give her a lavish life. But she had refused. She wasn't the type of woman you could buy. You would have to work for her, and she could tell that Leon was ready to do that. He hadn't be overly-inappropriate, he was respectful, and didn't downplay her being a mechanic.

She wanted Le, but she was going to play hard to get for a while. She always loved the chase.

"Follow me, pretty boy," she motioned for him to follow her out on the back deck. Like a puppy, Leon hopped up and trailed behind the woman.

Daisy pulled off her tank top, taking Leon by complete surprise. He had to make sure the grip on his coffee mug was tight. She unbuttoned her jean shorts, pushing them down to her ankles. Underneath, she was sporting a bright yellow bikini that made her skin color pop. Leon grinned to keep himself from drooling.

Daisy laid on a towel and pulled a bottle from a nearby table, handing it to Leon.

"Well, get busy playboy," she said at his confused look. He didn't move, but stared at the bottle. "Sunscreen, Leon!"

The light came on and Le popped open the bottle, squirting the fluid into his hand. He smoothed the cream over her back, making sure to go slow to enjoy the softness of her skin. He worked his way down her back, running his fingers over the top of her bikini bottoms. Le controlled the growl deep in his throat as he rubbed her sides.

"Don't forget my legs."

Leon grinned like a school-girl and moved to her thick thighs. He would enjoy this game of cat-and-mouse.

An hour later, the group was dressed and ready to head to this building. Dom wasn't sure if he could trust Julius. Brian always did have a group of suspicious _friends. _It seemed like a deal too good to be true. The house (some would call it a mansion) was immaculate, like nothing Dom had ever seen, let alone lived in before. It would definitely be big enough for the gang, plus ten more people. It was in an exclusive location, hidden by mountains and trees and had a great view of the beautiful ocean. Not to mention the small shed (which was almost the size of the Echo Park house) which could hold four cars.

The house was insane. But he couldn't figure out how such an "established" racer, couldn't get a garage together and running? Dom had did it, his father did it. He'd have to dig into Julius' background a little more.

The group took three cars: Dom, Vince, and Leon in the Nova; Brian, Rome, and Mia in the BMW, and Orange and Daisy in the Mazda. Tej took off with Rico and Tego on their trek back to Miami, but promised to come back in a few months to visit. Giselle hadn't showed up since he dropped her off at her place the night before, and he was thankful. He couldn't deal with anymore stress.

It was a drive deep into the town, but not far from the mansion. The building was located in the middle of city, many hard-working men and women traveling from business to business. Dom had deep admiration for people like these, one's who could go out and make an honest living to support their family. Dom only wished he had continued that route, instead of getting in bed with Johnny Tran.

That day was the beginning of the end of his life. His life would be forever changed because of that decision. Therefore, Letty's blood would forever be on his hands.

"Dom, we're here," Vince repeated to his friend. Dom was in deep thought, he could tell. He figured the big man hadn't been the same since the L.A heists and to be honest, none of them were.

"Good. Let's check it out," Dom said from the passenger seat. He opted to let Vince drive, for once enjoying being the passenger. He had too much racking his brain to focus on driving.

When everyone exited their cars, they were met by Julius, who had his arms spread out wide.

"This is it," he said proudly.

"It's a dump," Vince said honestly.

"Hey man, it's not that bad," Julius looked back, wincing as the sign holding up the building's name, _Florentino's, _broke off a side henge, dust kicking up into the wind. "Ay chihuahua."

"Open it up. Let's take a look inside."

* * *

_How could this be happening? At a time like this? How could I have been so stupid, not to have known? I guess I did know, I just didn't want to face it. But now I have too. Could life get any worse?_

A thousand questions ran through Letty's mind as she stared absentmindedly at the undercarriage of the car she was working on. She thanked God that her body decided to cry while she was hidden from view. How could she explain that she was five months pregnant by her convict-now-serving-a-life-sentence-ex-boyfriend? With no money, no place of her own, not even a car to help care for her and her unborn baby girl.

Letty pulled out the sonogram given to her.

"Funny lookin' little fucker," she whispered, fingering the edges of the photo. The baby was curled up in a ball, her large hands and feet visible. A girl. Letty was having a girl. She never pictured herself raising a child, let alone a girl. She and Dom never really talked about children, or even marriage. They were only focused on the present, making easy money and leading the cops on a wild goose chase. Now, she had to face the life-changing issue alone.

She had no other choice. An abortion wasn't an option and adoption wasn't in the question. Letty always took responsibility for her actions. If she was grown enough to lay down with Dom, she would take responsibility and raise her child. Sure, it would be the hardest thing she had ever done. But she would do it. With pride.

"Julius, why you callin' me? I told you I have work to do!" her boss' yell caught her attention. She had heard him yell before, at the other mechanic's shenanigans. It made her smile. He reminded her of Mr. Toretto. "Let me talk to him Julius."

Letty rolled out of the car, not caring to eavesdrop in the conversation. It wasn't like he wanted privacy anyways.

"Julius tells me you have interest in runnin' that old run down garage? You're a mechanic, eh? – Where are you from? – Los Angeles huh, the city of Angels," Gustavo chuckled. Letty's ear perked up at the mention of her hometown. How many people from California would come to Brazil to run a garage? It was strange to her.

"Well you and your men work out a plan and we'll meet up tomorrow."

"Who was that?" Letty asked bluntly. Gustavo laughed wholeheartedly. She was a spitfire, but Gustavo liked Letty.

"That was a potential business associate. My son Julius is one of those street racers," Gustavo waved and scoffed. "I don't understand it. Why drive your car against another to prove your toughness? I mean, it's so dangerous, and not to mention, illegal. So dumb," he rambled. "Anyways. I own two buildings, this one and another. But cash got low, so I sold the other building to my son. The idiot hasn't done anything with it, but he found a guy who wants to turn it to a garage."

"What was his name? I might know him," she asked carefully.

"I thought you were from all over," Gustavo asked with a smirk.

"Exactly. Name?"

"No clue, Donovan I think?

Letty's heart skipped a beat. "You mean Dominic?"

Gustavo shook his head quickly, "No, no. It was something like Donovan, or Domingo something or another."

Letty bit her jaw. She was getting impatient. "Are you sure it wasn't Dominic? Did he have a really deep voice?"

"Oh yes, very baritone. Sounds like a real manly-man. But I'm pretty sure it wasn't Dominic," Gustavo nodded confidently.

_Letty, what are you thinkin'? Dominic is in jail. Life sentence in Lompoc, remember? There's no way in hell that he was in Brazil. _She had to remind herself.

"Oh, then I probably don't know him."

The rest of the day at the shop was a drag. Her mind wasn't on her work, but on her baby. She knew nothing about babies, except from where they came. She also knew that she had roughly four months to get her shit together before life kicked her in the ass.

Letty placed her palm on her slight bulge and her skin tingled. The thought of another life crawling around inside her was amazing. The doctor was surprised when her pregnancy test came out positive, considering she didn't look five months into the process. More like two. He assured her that it wasn't a bad thing. Just that she was one of the lucky women who didn't grow fairly large during pregnancy. He also assured her that her sex drive would be on full throttle around this time, and that it was perfectly safe to have sex.

"Yeah fuckin' right," Letty scoffed. "That's how I got into this shit."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Chapter 6-Mia VS. Giselle**

_**Two weeks later...**_

"Daisy, get your head out of your ass and hand me that paintbrush!" Orange yelled to his baby sister, who spent the whole morning flirting with Leon. Orange didn't like this Leon, and didn't want his baby sister getting her heart broken over this Playboy.

"Ugh, shut up puta," Daisy muttered under her breath, grabbing the paintbrush and throwing it at her brother's head.

"Hey, you better watch it! While you're busy with Casanova, you need to get back to work, okay? The floor isn't gonna sweep itself, my dear," Orange responded, smiling sarcastically.

For the past two weeks, the group had been working on their new baby, the garage. The day after checking it out, Dom decided it had potential. Sure, it was a dump, but he knew his guys could get it up and running in no time. After meeting with Gustavo, whom Dom liked instantly, Dom agreed to fix up the place and try to get it buzzing. Gustavo seemed like a pretty decent guy, which made Dom feel good about working on the garage.

So now, making great progress, the shop was in better condition than before. It was currently getting a new white paint job, inside and out. Orange, Leon and Mia were tackling painting the spacey inside, while Dom, Brian, Vince and Roman painted the outside, which would take another day to complete. Mia worked with Giselle outside the building, calling and ordering equipment from a sponsor, who happened to be a good friend of Giselle's. Mia was excited, always the first to jump on a new project. But she wasn't happy with her partner.

Mia caught what had Giselle's attention and frowned. She was staring at her brother, whom along with Vince, Brian and Roman, was wearing a tight wife beater and work slacks. She didn't know Giselle, and she didn't know her intentions with her brother, but she wasn't ready for someone to take Letty's place. She knew it was selfish, but she knew what Dom and Letty had. She didn't want some bimbo thinking she could swoop in and take Letty's place. If Dom wasn't doing anything about it, she sure as hell would.

"Hey, Ms. Supermodel?" Mia snapped her finger's across Giselle's vision. "Got your attention now? We have work to do. So if you mind, quit giving my brother googly-eyes and get back on the phone."

"What is your problem?" she hollered at Mia.

"You are my fucking problem! If we're gonna get this place up and running soon, we don't need any distractions. Do what you came to do and leave."

Giselle stepped in Mia's face, and the Toretto didn't step down. She wasn't as large as Dom, but she was just as fearless.

"Look, I'm trying to help. That's what I did in Mexico, that's what I'm doing now. If your brother takes a liking to me, that's just a bonus," Giselle smirked, knowing she was getting under Mia's skin. "And Mia..." she put her lips to Mia's ear to whisper, "I think he has."

Mia knew her next move would piss Dom off, but at this point she didn't care. She drew back and placed a hard slap in Giselle's face. She pulled back again, landing a hard punch square in the jaw, dropping the girl on her backside.

"Whoa!" Dom barged over to Mia, separating the two women. "What the hell was that for?"

"The slap was for me. The punch for was Letty."

"Damn Mia. You got good hands. Much better than the buster," Vince joked. Dom scowled at him, to let him know he wasn't helping.

"V, take her to the bathroom and clean her up," Dom turned his attention to Mia, who grinned with pride. "You think this is funny? We're trying to get back on our feet and you're playing games?"

"I don't like how you've all of a sudden forgot about the woman who died for your ass. You were together for _nine_ years! Don't throw that away for that skank!"

"It's already gone Mia! I threw it away when I left her in the Dominic Republic!" he barked at his sister, who alongside Letty, wasn't intimidated by his size or voice. "You and V really need to get a fucking grip. Letty's gone Mia. Dead! So what I do from now on with my dick, is my business."

"But what you do with your heart is ours. Your emotions affect us all. You're my brother Dom. I just want you happy."

Dom's anger quickly diminished. He understood where Mia was coming from. She didn't want Letty replaced, none of them did. But it was ultimately Dom's decision.

Dominic pulled Mia to him, enveloping her thin body into a hug.

"I still love her, Mia. I'm not interested to anyone until I can move on. And when I do, we'll talk about it as a family."

Mia seemed satisfied with this answer and smiled.

"Now, get back to work. I'm not paying you to break faces."

"You're not paying me Dom."

"Well get back to it before I fire you," he said without malice.

Dom walked to the bathroom, where Vince held a clean work rag to Giselle's badly-bruised face.

"I'm sorry about-" Dom began but Giselle stopped him.

"It's fine. Vince explained why she was so upset. Letty was her best friend, I understand why she's not happy about my presence. Plus, I might have provoked her tiny bit," she shrugged.

Vince stepped out to go back to work. Plus, he couldn't stand to watch Dom flirt with another woman. To V, if it wasn't Letty, it just wasn't right.

"You all right?" he asked, leaning against the door frame.

"I was thinking – after we get this place up, maybe I should just head back to Mexico."

"Giselle, you don't have to-" Giselle stood, silencing Dom.

"I do. It's best for everyone," Giselle placed a kiss on Dom's cheek before exiting the room.

It was getting late in the evening before the inside of the shop was clean and painted. It would take a day to dry and air out, all-the-while the outside still had another day in the paint department. The work environment was awkward, Dom trading Daisy out for Mia to work with Giselle.

The group was ready to head home for the day when Julius received a call from his father.

"Julius," he answered.

"Son, I placed an order for five new gravity feed spray guns but the pendejo sent me ten. Got some more extra things layin' around, so you and one of your boys come pick it up tonight."

"We'll be right over," Julius hung up the phone. "My Papi has some things over in his shop for us. Couple extra things to help us out."

"I'll go with you. This paint is giving me a head high," Roman dropped his paintbrush and cleaned his hands.

* * *

It was payday at the garage for Letty, and she couldn't be more happy. She was going to look at a car today with Thiago and would need the cash. After that, she would search for a small home for her to raise her child alone.

Her skin crawled at the thought. _Alone_. Without Dom. Her baby would never know her father. She didn't want that for the child. Letty was twelve when her father passed away after a four-day long alcohol binge, and it was hard on her. It played a large part in Letty's rebellion and toughness. She didn't want her own kid to go through that pain. She also didn't want to fathom how difficult it would be to raise her child alone. To deal with schooling, keeping her away from boys, giving her the "Birds and Bees" talk.

_Fuck_, Letty thought.

"Papi!" a yell came from the front of the shop. She wanted to be nosy, but the Renault Sandero she was working on was in a rush to be completed and out the door. "Come on, the others are waiting at the shop. We already had one cat fight, I don't think Mia's gonna hold back next time."

As soon as the name left his mouth, Letty was out from under the car and following the voice. There, she noticed a Hispanic man in orange shorts and a wife beater talking to her boss. She watched as Gustavo handed a couple of boxes to him, and another man.

Roman.

Letty hadn't seen him since her first night out on the town, and hadn't really expected to see him again. But looking at him now, white paint droppings all over his sweaty dark skin as his bare chest glistened with sweat...

_Get yourself together woman! _She mentally kicked herself.

"Roman?" she called from a few feet away. He hadn't noticed her standing there, watching his muscles twitch as he delivered boxes to and from a car.

He turned to her, staring at the beauty in disbelief. Roman couldn't believe how gorgeous she looked, even with her tank top covered in oil and grime. Her hair was tied in a loose bun, with frills hanging over her eyes.

"Fabiana?" Roman smiled with surprise.

"Who?" Julius and Gustavo said in unison.

"Her name is-" Gustavo started.

"Rome, what are you doin' here? I thought you were headed back to the States."

"Well, I decided to stay. Some buddies and I bought a garage and we're starting to get it up. I didn't take you for the mechanic type," he smiled brightly. Letty tried not to get hypnotized by his beautiful smile.

"I've always had a knack for engines," Julius cleared his throat, not one to be ignored. "Who is that?"

"That's Julius. We're staying at his house. Julius, this is Fabiana Dominguez," Roman introduced. Julius admired Letty like she was a piece of meat, and she had to mentally hold herself back from beating his face in.

"Why do you keep callin'-" Gustavo tried again, but Letty cut him off.

"I heard you mention someone named 'Mia'. What's her last name?" Letty questioned. Sure, there were coincidences, but not _this_ many.

"Um, Toretto?" he spoke with a thick accent. "I dunno, I just know she has a nasty right hook."

Letty's body heat rose at the mention of her old friend. That _wasn't_ a coincidence. Mia was in Brazil.

"We're both talkin' about a tall brunette, too skinny for her own good, right?" Letty needed assurance.

"Oh yeah, that's what the one. Why do you ask?"

"She knows a lot of people. Ay guys, I have work to do! Get the rest of these boxes," Gustavo griped, disappearing into his office.

Letty was in panic mode. Why would Mia be in Brazil? Who would she be with? And why would she be working with a hornball like Julius? Her heart raced and her skin pumped as adrenaline raced through her body. She didn't know what to do. She knew she had to find Mia. She needed information.

"Fabiana, you okay?" Roman asked, placing his big hand on her shoulder. This stopped her daydream.

"Roman, I need you to give Mia this number," she scribbled down the Guzman's home phone number. "Tell Mia that when she's alone, to give me a call. Tell her it's urgent."

"And what about me?" Roman grinned.

"You can take me to dinner, tomorrow night," she didn't really want him to, but until she could figure out more information about Mia, she'd have to keep Roman around.

"Great. I'll meet you here tomorrow around eight," he kissed her cheek and left the building.

"Oh Ms. Dominguez..." Letty turned to find Gustavo standing at his office door, fingering her over to him. He didn't look happy.

"Ohh!" the other mechanics teased. Letty flipped them the bird. They were like high-schoolers.

* * *

That night, Mia lay next to Brian in their bedroom, staring at the number that Roman had given her. She didn't know a Fabiana Dominguez and was curious about someone asking for her in Rio. She had never traveled here before, so she was curious about the mystery woman.

Mia sat the paper on the end table and crawled under the large cream-colored duvets, cuddling up next to Brian's bare chest. He was snoring slightly, his beautiful lips parted slightly. Mia couldn't help but smile at her boyfriend. They had their ups and downs over the years, but she couldn't be happier that he was with her now.

She sighed. For some reason, sleep wouldn't come to her easily. She wasn't able to get over the events of the day. On cue, her knuckles ached from her attack on Giselle. In a way, she knew she was wrong for hitting the woman. She had only been doing what every woman had done since Dominic was sixteen; trying to be the object of his affection. But because of her late, deceased best friend, she wouldn't allow Dom to jump into anything without having a clear conscious about it.

Mia couldn't stop her thoughts from wandering to Letty. It had been months since the last time she saw Letty. Mia was the only person the FBI could reach to come identify her body at the scene. She could smell the burning rubber and metal from blocks away. That was a scent that Mia could never get over. There had been a body lying in the backseat, burned beyond identification. There was only thing that led Mia to know it was Letty – the personal specialized plate that read "TMTRTT2". All of the Team members had these plates located somewhere on their car, each topped with their number in the V-formation; Letty's being two. Right after her number one man, Dominic.

It was still fresh in her mind the last time Mia interacted with Letty.

"_Mia!" Letty yelled from the shed. She had been in there since she arrived two months ago, working on Dom's Charger. She knew that once she got him to come home, he'd really love that she fixed it for him. He was always too afraid to go near it. "Mia, get in here!"_

"_What is it Let?" Mia hurried into the shed. Ever since she'd shown up on Mia's doorstep one night, Letty seemed … off. Mia assumed it was because of Dom's being away. The two were always down when the other wasn't around. _

"_I'm leaving tomorrow," Letty said simply._

"_What do you mean Let? You just got here," Mia didn't want Letty to leave. She had been alone since the truck heists. Dom, Letty, and Leon ran to Baja, Jesse was dead, and Vince was in the hospital, soon to be prison. She had no one. Leon came back for a few weeks, but left in the middle of the night, leaving only a note for his dear friend._

"_Mia, I have to find him. Waiting here for him to come back … it isn't gonna happen Mia."_

"_Letty, you don't-"_

"_MIA I DO! Dom's not coming back to L.A!" Letty barked, her frustration with Dom was being directed at the wrong Toretto._

"_Letty, you don't have to leave. Please. Just think about it."_

"_There's nothing to think about," Letty said, shining the chrome on the engine with a rag._

"_Where are you going to go then?" Mia crossed her arms over her chest, a sure Toretto motion._

_Letty stuck her head back in the engine, "I'm gonna go find him. Gonna bring him home."_

"_Letty, that'll be like finding a needle in a haystack. Dominic could be **anywhere** in the world right now," Mia tried to reason with her friend._

"_Bullshit Mia!" when Letty finally looked up, she had tears running down her face. "I'm gonna find him. I'm bringing him home," Letty looked back down at her work. "Then I'm gonna kick his fuckin' ass for doing this to me."_

_Mia looked at her friend, her heart breaking for the woman. She loved Dom more than anything in the world, and he had abandoned her. Mia was disappointed that Dom had been so dimwitted, even if it was with good intentions._

"_Just be careful. I dunno what I'd do if something happened to you while you were chasing that bonehead."_

_It was around four A.M the next morning when footsteps brought Mia out of her slumber. She pretended to be asleep as a light knock was at her door. She had already cried herself to sleep that night, she couldn't stand to watch Letty go. The door creaked open and light footsteps traveled to Mia's bedside._

"_I love you Mia Bella," Letty whispered, placing a kiss on Mia's forehead. Mia tried desperately not to reach over and hug Letty until she suffocated. Letty smoothed back Mia's hair. Mia's heart broke as she could feel what she assumed was Letty's tears on her neck._

_Letty quickly ran out the room. Mia jumped up and looked out her window, watching Letty go into the shed. She could see Letty slowly walking around the car, trailing her hand across the frame. She slid in, hanging the cross necklace that Dom had left her, on the rearview mirror._

_Letty jumped in the Roadrunner (which she won in a slips race the month before) and sped off into the night._

"_Damnit Letty Fabiana Ortiz. Be careful."_

Then it clicked to Mia.

Fabiana was Letty's middle name …. Letty's mother's maiden name was Dominguez …

_Could it be? There is no way in hell that Letty could be alive. I saw her in that car..._

Then it dawned on Mia. She hadn't identified Letty's body, only her car. Because of the burned flesh, Mia couldn't really identify Letty's body.

_Damnit, Mia. What did you do?_

"Brian, wake up!" she shook him. His eyes snapped open as he took in Mia's frightened look.

"What's wrong baby?"

"What happened with Letty's body, you know after they found it?"

Brian rolled his eyes, "Mia c'mon. We've been through this. I know you can't get over it. But Letty's gone."

"Brian, what did they do with the body?" Mia repeated a little louder.

Brian sighed, rubbing his heavy lids, "They sent it to the morgue. I don't know Mi. Can't we talk about this in the morning?"

"Are they supposed to ID it more, you know, for a confirmation."

"Not all the time. If someone is able to positively ID the body, they send it either to crematorium or the morgue to ready the body for burial. What's this all about Mia?"

Mia sighed, taking a deep breath before uttering her words, "Brian, I think Letty's alive."


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all the reviews. I love all the suggestions, and I'll try to incorporate some into the story as it develops.**

**Chapter 7-Deals and the Undead**

As the sun began to set, Letty sat in Thiago's 'Cuda while he talked to a tall Cuban man. They were in the deep slums of a town that was alive with people and partying. Cock fights and poker games littered the block, and children kicked a soccer ball around the street. It was a chill environment, despite the many guns Letty saw tucked in pants of the locals. She wondered if that was a normal part of life around these parts.

"Letty!" Thiago called from the entrance of a garage-like building. Letty exited the car and walked to him. "I put in a good word for you. You're gonna love this."

Letty smiled as she followed Thiago through the garage. It was fairly empty and quiet, aside from the heavy duty power tools being put to use in a back room.

"Letty, this is Damon Reyes. He's the Car God here in Rio," Damon reached his hand out, eying Letty from head to toe. Letty shook his hand as hard as her strength would allow her, which caused Damon to pull back quickly.

"Ow, you got a grip there," he chortled, shaking the pain out of his hand. "So Thiago tells me you need a set of wheels. What are you into? I got muscle, I got tuner, I got domestic."

"Anything that runs. I'm a little low on cash because I'm trying to get a place too," Letty replied sheepishly.

"No worries, little lady," Damon overlooked Letty, taking in her protruding belly. The woman was gorgeous, but he could see the wear-and-tear on her face She was exhausted. "I might have a proposal for you. Can we discuss it in private?"

Letty was curious, so she agreed and followed Damon to the back of the garage, where several frames sat underneath covers. Damon led her to a small table sitting near a motorcycle.

"I know I don't know you, but my madre always told me: 'When you see a woman in distress, try your best to make her smile. Do whatever you have to do to build her spirits up'."

Letty smiled, "Sounds like a smart woman."

"Very bright," he agreed with a grin. He was a good-looking guy. "So I've decided I'm going to help you. I have this place. It used to be my mother's home, but she passed away earlier this year. I can rent it out to you for cheap, you know. You seem like you need it. It's hard raising a kid without a place and no car."

"But how did you-"

"I grew up the only boy with five sister and a single mother. I know women."

Letty smiled again. She liked how carefree this Damon was. He was observational, and genuine.

"What about the car?" she questioned, going back to the reason she was even there.

"Pick any car you want, I'll sell it you for a grand."

Letty's jaw dropped; she was completely flabbergasted at the offer. Any of his cars for just a thousand dollars? It seemed too good to be true.

"What do you want?" Damon looked away, and Letty's suspicions were confirmed. "What?"

"I know you work for old man Florentino, but I have another job for you, if you're interested."

Letty was a little uneasy. "I'm not gonna kill anyone, if that's what you want."

Damon laughed a little, "No, nothing like that. There's a man across town, he goes by Orange Julius. This clown is a big shot gambler around here, but he cheats his way through games. I don't like cheaters. Anyways, that pendejo owes me a car. I bet one of my best cars to this goon and caught him cheating. The fuckin' idiot grabs the two slips and runs off. Now I don't want his life, I want my car."

Letty thought back to the day, remembering Gustavo's son Julius wearing orange shorts and sneakers. _Fuck_.

"You mean Gustavo's son, Julius?" Letty clarified. Damon nodded. "How exactly am I supposed to get this car? I don't know where he lives. I don't know my way around this place."

"There's a GPS in the car. I have it in all of my cars, for insurance purposes. All you have to do is follow the GPS. When you're ready, I'll send one of my men to go with you and back you up."

Letty was weary. She knew the act of boosting cars, she had done it for shits-and-giggles with Vince and Leon a few times. She just wasn't sure if a house and a cheap car was worth the risk.

A small kick in little's abdomen told her otherwise.

"What kind of car is it?" she asked with a smile.

* * *

"Mia, what are you talking about?" Brian asked, taking in the seriousness on Mia's face. She wasn't kidding. She wasn't delusional.

"I don't think Letty is dead. I think she somehow got out of that car before it exploded."

"But how can that be? You ide-"

"I couldn't really identified a roasted body, Brian," Mia said matter-of-factly. Mia grabbed the slip of paper off the end table. "Roman gave me this. Said a woman at Julius' father's shop gave it to him and said to have me call her as soon as possible. That it was urgent. Roman said that she described me perfectly."

Brian sat up quickly. "What do we do? Do we tell Dominic?"

"NO!" Mia answered quickly. "He _cannot _know about this, not yet. Not until we are one-hundred percent sure. If we tell him and it's all a fluke, he'll want to rip something apart."

"Or somebody," Brian said, rubbing his face. "Mia, this is insane. That was Letty's car."

"The woman at the shop said her name was Fabiana Dominguez," said Mia.

"The chick that Roman likes?" Brian asked with an eyebrow.

Mia winced, she forgot about Roman. She overhead him bragging to the boys about how enticing his encounter with Ms. Dominguez had been and how he intended on continuing the hunt for her.

"Yeah, her. Brian, Letty's middle name is Fabiana. Her mother's maiden name is Dominguez."

"Okay, that's not a coincidence," he agreed. "Why'd she give a fake name, though?"

"Maybe she's afraid of someone finding her. I don't know Brian, but I need to call her."

"Listen, lemme make a few calls tonight and you can call her in the morning."

Brian kissed Mia's lips and pulled on his jeans. He maneuvered his way through the quiet and dark house and walked outside. Brian's feet felt weird as he walked through the sand down to the beach. He pulled out his prepaid cell phone that he would use only for emergencies. He dialed the only woman he could trust in the States.

"Whoever this is better have a damn good reason for waking me up," the woman's husky voice said into the receiver.

"Sophie, it's Brian."

There was hesitation on the other line, and Brian began to wonder if it was a mistake calling her.

"Brian, do you realize that you and your friends are wanted all over the U.S right now?" Federal agent Sophie Trinh exclaimed. She and Brian were close when Brian was first hired by the FBI, agreeing to have each others back in and out of every case.

"I know Soph. Listen, the Feds had a deal and they flipped. I was only doing what was right."

"And now you're wanted on numerous charges. I'll list them for you: Aiding and abetting a prisoner escape, reckless driving, destruction of property, not to mention assault for your little gas grenade stunt."

"Not too bad," Brian cheesed.

"Why are you callin' me, Brian?"

"You remember the informants we had on the Braga case? Well I have reason to believe one of them is still alive. But I need your help on this. Was the body of Leticia Ortiz ever ID'd by anyone other than Mia Toretto?"

Sophie yanked her laptop onto the bed and opened it up. She logged into the FBI agency and typed away for Brian's information. "No, it lists Mia Toretto as the only identifier."

Brian nodded, this information he knew. "Is the DNA info still on file? You know, from the coroner's office?"

"Yes..." she trailed off, searching the database. "Ah, here."

When she didn't speak right away, Brian's heart stopped. "Sophie?"

"The DNA on file matches with a Jalesia Mendez, Hispanic, 38 years of age, born in Tijuana, Mexico. Couple of traffic violations and some speeding tickets. Cause of death, bullet-wound to temporal lobe, killed instantly. She's listed as a street racer. Brian, there is no DNA on file for Letty."

"Mendez was another female racer working for Braga. She must've got in Letty's car after the drop. Sophie I need you to do me a big favor, man..."

"Brian, doing you favors can not only get me fired, but get me in deep shit with this company."

"I know, but I need this. Hack into the files and replace everything about Mendez with Letty's information. Make it seem like it was her who died in that crash."

"Brian are you – excuse my language – fucking crazy? Tampering with evidence?"

"Trinh! Do this please. I think I found Letty and I can't let the FBI know she's alive. I don't want them flipping on Letty like they did Dom."

Sophie did as she was asked, unhappily hacking into the FBI's records. "It's done."

"Alright, thanks Trinh. You're always a big help," Brian said with a smile.

"Brian, don't you ever contact me again in your life. I'm not losing my job because you feel you have something to prove to Toretto."

"I won't." With that, the line was cut. Brian chucked the prepaid phone far out into the ocean, sure that it would sink to the bottom. He didn't need Trinh trying to locate him so _she_ could play hero to the FBI.

The next morning, Dom woke up after another Letty-filled dream. It was almost as if she was haunting him, taunting him in every dream. To Dom, the strangest part was that she always said the same thing.

_Find me, Dominic._

He shook off his jitters and took a quick shower, making sure to wash all of the grime and paint off of him from the day before. When he got home from the garage last night, he face-planted on his king-sized mattress and passed out. He was too tired to even take his boots off.

After showering and brushing his teeth, Dom walked to the kitchen, which was only occupied by Mia and Brian. Their hushed voices stopped once his presence was seen.

"Please, don't let me interrupt you guys talking about me. I need coffee," Dom joked, heading to the coffee maker. When the two didn't continue their conversation, Dom turned to them. Mia looked utterly distraught, while Brian looked as if he were thinking too hard. "What's going on?"

Before Mia could blurt out what her and Brian had been talking about, the rest of the gang filed into the house with laughter. Dom saw the take-out boxes in their hands.

"We tried to wake you up, dawg," Vince shrugged as he dug into his meal.

"Want mine?" Leon offered, holding his Styrofoam box to Dom. Dom couldn't help but smile. Leon was always willing to give up something of his to satisfy Dom.

"No thanks, Le. Grub bro," Dom replied.

"I'm not inconsiderate," Daisy announced as she sat a box in front of Dom, Mia and Brian. Dom smiled at the younger girl. He mouthed a thank-you as he opened his box, as the smell of smoked sausages and oranges hit his nostrils.

"What is this?" he asked with a full mouth of the meal.

"It's called feijoada, it's Brazil's national dish," Daisy answered proudly.

"It's amazing," Dom agreed, taking another bite.

"Eat up guys, 'cause our deliveries come in today. We got a lotta stuff to unload and get the shop up," Julius announced as he finished up the last of his food.

The gang finished eating and cleaned up, all meeting back downstairs. Dom noticed Mia and Brian talking in a corner, and made a mental note to talk to them about it. He didn't like whispering. It usually meant secrets, and secrets meant trouble.

The group got in their respective cars, minus Daisy, who drove her own pink RX-8. Leon, the confident man he was, rode shotgun with her. Dom rode with Vince in the Scion, leaving the '74 Chevy Nova behind.

"Shit, I forgot my work gloves. I'm gonna stay behind and look for them. I'll catch up with you guys," Brian said as Mia jumped out and walked around to the driver side. He gave her a quick kiss and watched as they pulled off.

* * *

Letty smiled as she walked out of the Guzman's house, spotting the purple Lexus GS Aristo sitting on the curb. It was the car she picked from Damon Reyes, along with a home, in exchange from retreiving his silver '74 Chevy Nova car. A guy stepped out of a black Ford truck, tossing her the keys. He was accompanied by another of Reyes' men.

"Lead the way," the man said softly. He slid back in his truck and fired it up, waiting for Letty to head off.

She grinned as she slid in the car, admrining the leather finish and new car smell. There was plenty of room in the backseat and had an up-to-date security system.

Perfect for her and her baby.

There was a GPS system mounted to the dash with a blinking red dot that read "Chevy" underneath. Letty started the Lexus, which purred like a wild cat.

She would love this car.

Letty followed the GPS's direction to the car, which led her to a beautiful mansion in the middle of nowhere. There was an extravagant view of the ocean and a large garage-type shed next to it. There weren't any cars parked outside, so she assumed they were in the shed.

One of the men got out the truck and approached her door, tapping on her window.

"That it?" he asked, holding a large ax.

"Signal shows this is the place. Should be in that big shed."

Letty felt bad about boosting her boss' son's car, but if he cheated to get it, he didn't deserve it in the first place. The man went to the shed, slamming the ax into the wooden door.

"Hey!" a voice yelled out, which got Letty's attention. "Hey bro!"

"What the hell?" Letty whispered as she watched Brian O'Connor run down the steps of the house. Letty quickly slipped out of the car without Brian noticing.

"What the hell are you doing man?" he asked as the man continued chopping at the wood.

"No hablo inglês," he replied as he opened the door, revealing the gorgeous silver Nova.

"What's going on?" Brian continued to question.

Letty approached Brian from behind and tapped his shoulder. When he turned around, she dropped him with a nasty right jab to the face.


	8. Chapter 8

**This is my late Valentine's Day gift to you all! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8-Business**

"Letty?" Brian looked up at his attacker with one eye. It hurt too bad to open the other.

"What the fuck are you doin' here O'Connor?" Letty growled, standing over the man. "Are you followin' me, Cop?"

Meanwhile, the man had used the spare key to get into the Nova and started it up. Brian struggled to his feet to stop the thief, but Letty pushed him back to the gravel. This bought the man enough time to get the car out of the shed and down the driveway.

"I had no fucking idea that you were even alive until last night, Letty!" he yelled as he stood up, watching as the Nova and Ford truck drove off. "Fuck! What the hell was that about?" he questioned, pointing to the leaving cars.

"Business. Now, tell me why you're here," Letty bore holes into Brian's face, and if his eye wasn't in so much pain, he'd be doing the same. _She almost hits as hard as Dom_, Brian thought.

"Letty, there is not enough time to talk about this. Mia is probably on her way to get me now."

Letty's eyes softened at the mention of her friend. "So Mia is here, like Julius said?"

"A lot of people are here," Brian replied vaguely.

Letty didn't know what that meant, and was too afraid to further question him about it.

"Are you after me O'Connor?" she asked, her voice calm and tired. This was too much for her.

"I have no reason to be, I'm not a cop anymore. You did your best in that Braga case. You're not wanted for anything. Hell, every cop in California thinks you're dead."

"Cause of the accident..." she trailed off. Brian nodded.

"They called Mia to ID your body in the car."

"How did you find out I wasn't?"

"Mia was telling me about you seeing Rome at the garage yesterday. I called back home to get some information. Jalesia Mendez was in your car, that was the body that Mia identified."

Letty was shocked. She remembered Mendez from the Braga runs. She was tough like Letty, but probably a few notches above violent. Letty remembered the night of her last drop. Felix didn't speak, he just started shooting, offing three drivers before he pointed the gun at Letty. Felix hesitated for just a moment (to gloat, she assumed), and became distracted by a younger driver trying to scuffle with one of Campos' goons. She figured it had been then that Mendez jumped in Letty's car and hid in the back seat. Letty was too hyped-up on adrenaline to even notice.

Letty wavered before speaking her next thought. "Is that why Dom helped take Braga down? Because he thought I was dead?"

"I helped get him a deal. If he helped bring down Arturo Braga's ring, his record would be wiped clean. He could come home."

"But Dom's in jail," Letty said matter-of-factly.

Before Brian had the chance to reveal the bus heist, the Scion pulled up, kicking up dust and gravel. Brian and Letty shielded their eyes from the offending matter and couldn't see the body exiting the car.

"Sorry about that Bri, I just wanted to try out the speed," Mia said with a chuckle. She looked over at the Lexus, admiring the purple paint job. "Nice car. Whose is it?" the dust finally cleared and Mia could see the woman standing with her boyfriend. "Oh my god."

* * *

"Alright! Dom, you see this shit? We didn't even have it this good at home," Vince exclaimed as the workers began to unpack the new chrome parts and tools out of boxes.

"Dawg, it'd take us centuries to afford this shit," Leon piped up from around his trademark toothpick.

Dom grinned with his boys as he unloaded a box of new heavy-duty electric drills and grinders.

"I guess the boys like their toys," Giselle's voice said from the bay doors of the garage. She quickly scanned the garage for Mia, but didn't see her.

"She went after Brian," Dom caught her attention. He could tell she was looking for Mia. "We love it. Contrary to some beliefs, we couldn't have done this without you," Dom smiled as he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. It looked worse than it did the day before, but still didn't take away from her looks. Dom fingered the bruise gently with remorse.

"No problem. You saved my life, I owe you all the favors in the world," Giselle shrugged.

"How about I take you to dinner tonight?" It was the least Dom could do.

"Sounds good. You can pick me up at eight," Giselle winked and walked back out to her car, "Your lifts, welders, and pressure washer will be here tomorrow."

Dom stood at the bay doors and watch as the white Porsche GT3 pulled off the curb.

"So Daisy, you gonna stick around after this place is up?" Leon question the girl as they worked together to stock the third shelf with seat covers, steering-wheel covers, and stencils. They already had one stocked with boxes of extension cords, chain hoists, and air hoses, while the other held safety equipment such as welding helmets, work gloves, spray paint respirator, and electronic earmuffs.

"If Dom wants to hire me," she replied, loud enough for Dominic to hear.

"Girl, as hard as you're working, you can run this place," Dom winked at her.

"Guess so," she smiled bright as Leon.

"What's your specialty?"

"Well I can rip apart an engine in a little under an hour and have it back together _correctly_ within two," she shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"Shit. That sounds a lot like-" Leon started but Dom clearing his throat stopped his next word. "a friend I knew."

"So Daisy," Roman spoke from across the room. "What's some good restaurants to take a good-lookin' woman out to dinner?"

"Yeah, looks like I got a date tonight too," Dom agreed and ignored the glare he received from Vince.

"There's a little place outside the city called Miam Miam, great food. Real laid-back environment. I've been there a few times, though it's been a while," she drew out, hoping someone got the hint.

Leon glanced up at her nervously, and went back to what he was doing, not speaking a word.

"Oh for fucks sake Leon," Vince spat from across the room. "Ask the poor girl out."

Daisy's jaw dropped, but couldn't keep from grinning. She liked this Vince.

"Vince," Dom scolded.

"What? He's acting like a pussy. You obviously like the girl. Take her out before I do."

Leon knew Vince was serious, he had took many girls from under Leon's arm before.

"Can I take you to Miam Miam tonight?" Leon asked Daisy.

"You sure can. Luckily, Julius is taking out trash. Or he'd give you the third degree," she smiled at him. Leon didn't care what Vince was saying, he was swooned by this woman.

"Mia! Mia!" Dom's voice echoed through the garage. He would need Mia to help him find something to wear.

"Dingbat, she went to get the Buster," Vince insulted as he sorted his new midnight blue tool chest.

"Well she's taking forever," Dom muttered as he walked to the office.

* * *

"Mia Bella," Letty grinned with watery eyes. Mia ran to her friend, embracing her in a bone-crushing hug. The two stayed like that for what felt like an eternity.

"God I missed you so much, Let," Mia whispered as the tears came.

"I missed you Mi. I'm sorry I left you, girl," Letty replied, her emotions overcoming her. _Damn pregnancy hormones._

"Oh shut up," Mia said as they pulled away. She ran her hand over Letty's face and hair to make sure she was real. "It's really you."

"It sure is. And you two have some explaining to do. Why the hell are you in Brazil?"

Mia looked to Brian, who looked apprehensive. He wasn't ready to tell Letty that they broke Dom out and that he was a mere ten minutes away. He knew she would lose it, and he didn't want to be around when it happened.

"Maybe we can meet up soon to talk about everything. Right now if we don't get back to work, Roman is gonna come after us," Mia said to Brian, who nodded.

Letty didn't like how they were avoiding the question, but would give them the benefit of the doubt for now. "Call that number tomorrow and we'll meet up. And I want some answers, Mia. Don't bullshit me."

Mia knew that Letty was serious, and nodded.

"Brian, tell Julius I'm sorry about the car. Like I said, business."

The two women hugged again before promising to see each other the following day. Mia watched as Letty's Lexus backed out of the driveway before turning around and speeding off.

"Holy shit," Brian and Mia said in unison. Mia turned back to Brian, noticing the dark bruise forming around his left eye.

"She wasn't happy to see you, huh?" Mia turned to the empty shed just as the wooden door crashed to the ground.

"One of her 'business associates' stole the Nova."

"Dom's not gonna be happy."

"That's the least of his worries," Brian said as he slid in the Scion seat.

Meanwhile in the Lexus, Letty was bawling her eyes out as she sped back to Damon's place garage. She needed to get the keys to her new home, and she wanted to get this GPS tracking device out of her car. She couldn't believe that Mia was here, that it was really her. She was happy somewhat, because now she didn't have to be alone anymore. But there was something that Brian and Mia wasn't telling her, there was a lot, actually.

She slammed the car into park and bolted through the garage, uncaring if Damon was busy or not.

"Hey, hey! See you got my car," Damon said in the middle of poker game out back. "Heard there was some drama there too. Too bad."

"Listen, I got your car," Letty snapped, not in the mood for talking. She wanted her keys, and she wanted to leave. She reached in her pocket and pulled out her cash – the whole thousand dollars she had managed to save up.

Damon could tell that she was pissed, and he didn't want to push her. He gave her the keys to the house.

"I want that GPS out of my car. As far as I'm concerned, we don't have any more business to conduct. You got your car, you got your money. All I want is it out."

"Oh, I dunno if I can do that."

"You can, and you will. We made a deal. All I want is that GPS out of my car. I happen to know the people who live with Julius and I don't want any trouble for them. They're all the family I got."

"That wasn't part of the deal, sweetheart. How do I know you're not gonna give this car to that pendejo to replace the Nova?"

"'Cause I don't give two damns about that _pendejo_. I just work for his father."

"I'm sorry," he smiled, taking a step closer. In a swift move, Letty had Damon pinned to a nearby wall, her pocket knife to his throat. She heard his goons retrieve their guns.

"Try anything stupid and I slice him up," she growled over her shoulder.

Damon was frightened. He didn't know Letty, but he could tell by the look in her eye that she was a few sandwiches short of a picnic. He didn't want any trouble with her.

"Put 'em down boys, it's alright. Gomez, rip the GPS out of the car and get the papers for it," he said, looking sincerely in Letty's eyes. She waited until all guns were away before she let him go, keeping her knife blade out.

"You got a lot of nerve pulling a knife on me woman," Damon said as she shoved his hands into his pocket.

"Well I gotta look after myself. Got no one else to do it. I don't want any trouble, that's why I want it out of the car." By now, there was more tears coming out of Letty's eyes. She was frustrated beyond belief.

"You alright?" Damon asked. She could see that he tried to play hot-shot around his friends, but he was a caring guy.

"My goddamn hormones are through the roof," she replied. Damon chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't I know it. C'mon, let's go," the two walked outside the building to see the hood of the Lexus open. Letty watched as the man snatched out two wires and a small compact box. Once that was done, she reached in the car and pulled the GPS tracker for the Nova and handed it to him.

"Thanks for everything man," Letty said as she took the papers for the Lexus.

"Good luck with everything," Damon called as Letty slid in her car and pulled out.

* * *

When Mia and Brian got back to the garage, the team gave Brian the third degree about his black eye and filthy clothes. He gave the half truth, saying that he caught some guy stealing the Nova out of the shed and the two scuffled. Neither he nor Mia mentioned Letty showing up or her giving Brian his new accessory.

"Who the hell would steal my car?" Julius questioned angrily.

"Honestly J, who wouldn't? As many people you've ripped off during poker. I'm surprised it hadn't happened sooner," said Daisy.

Julius shrugged. She was right. "Hey Dom, I'm sorry bro. I'll get you another car."

"Don't worry about it man. I'll drive around that Buick until we can find something else. It's not too bad," he said, though he was somewhat upset. He'd much rather drive something more muscular. "Mia, I need you to help me find something to wear tonight."

"Why?"

"I'm taking Giselle out to dinner," he said, waiting for the out roar.

"You're what?" Both Mia and Brian said simultaneously. All eyes were on them for their outburst. "You can't take Giselle out."

"Yeah Dom," Brian agreed. "You can't do that."

"What, is there an echo in here?" Vince sniped.

"I'm a grown man. I explained that to you yesterday Mia."

"Dom, you _really_ don't wanna do that," Mia said, her voice shaky.

Dom knew something was up between his sister and Brian. "Lemme talk to you guys."

They followed Dom into the office, which was a lot more spacey than the one from home. It was fitted with a large wooden table, a boss-type leather chair, and a flat-screen work computer. Three file cases sat in the corner of the room and a large window displayed the garage area.

Dom took a seat in the leather chair, pointing to the two other seats at the table.

"What's up with you two? You been secretive all day. Whispering and shit. What's that about?" When neither spoke up, Dom repeated himself a little loud.

"Dom, I just don't think it's a good idea to go on that date," Brian repeated, running his hands over his five o'clock shadow.

"Mia, we already went over this. It's my decision what I do with my love life."

"Dominic, you wouldn't believe us if we told you," Mia spoke.

"Try me."

Mia sighed deeply before speaking. "Letty's here."

Dom blinked once, as if her words didn't register. And to him, they didn't. "What's going on with you two?"

"Dom, didn't you hear her? Letty is here in Rio."

Dom didn't speak for a minute, and it was long one. He seemed to be in a daze.

"I know you don't like Giselle, but this is too fucking much Mia."

"Dom-" Brian tried to explain further, but when Dom stood quickly, slamming his chair against the wall behind him, Brian stopped.

"No! Don't use my dead ex-girlriend as a way to get me out of it. You two should be ashamed of yourself. Get the fuck out of here," Dom growled, pointing to the door.

Mia had tears in her eyes now. Dom had never yelled at her that way. Sure, he barked eighty percent of the time, but she could tell now he was serious.

"GO!" he repeated, dismissing the two. Mia wept softly as Brian led her out of the office.

Dom slammed his fist into the file cases in anger, three large dents adorning the side.


	9. Chapter 9

**Just wanted to stop and say thanks for all of the reviews. I know with my other stories I sucked at updating regularly, but as you can see, I found my niche. I'm glad to see everyone's enjoying. Letty was my favorite character, and I hated the way they killed her off. So, I'll always bring her back. Anyways, thanks and enjoy!**

**Chapter 9-Date Night**

Letty opted to stay at the Guzman's home for one last night before going to her new home. She picked up the phone, private-dialing a familiar number back in California. It was a number that would be forever sketched into her brain.

_Something tells me I'm going to be disappointed by this call, _she thought as the operator picked up.

"Lompoc Correctional Facility, Jenna King speaking."

"Jenna, it's Letty Ortiz."

There was a pause.

"Letty Ortiz? Oh mija, I never wanted to hear from you again," Jenna said as she switched over to the private line.

"I never thought I'd have to call you again," Letty tried to catch her breath. She was hyperventilating. It couldn't have been great for the baby. She took a deep breath and controlled her breathing. "I'm calling for Dom. Jenna, please tell me honestly. Dominic isn't there, is he?" Letty asked, speaking on the feelings she had all day. Ever since picking up the weirdness from Brian and Mia, she had a feeling it had to do with the older Toretto.

Jenna, a call-screener at the prison for over twenty years, hesitated. She knew Letty from Dom's previous stint at Lompoc. She didn't know any woman who called their inmate-boyfriend more than that sixteen year-old Letty did.

"Letty, I don't show any record of Dominic. He was on the list of arrivals dated for August third, but the bus never made it. They recovered all prisoners except him."

Letty felt her heart drop to her toes and shatter into pieces. She knew it; Dominic never made it to prison. Then she remembered Brian's words...

"_I'm not a cop anymore."_

O'Connor broke Dominic off that bus. _That's why they're in Brazil_, she thought. _They're running._

_He's running, again._

"Hello? You there, Letty?"

Letty hadn't moved in minutes. She lazily hung up the phone and dropped it to the floor. When she finally blinked, tears dripped down her face and landed on her shirt. Now, the tears came quickly as Letty dropped to the floor, her back against the bed frame. She wept hysterically.

"Leticia?" Paco called as he entered her room with a knock. He found her on the floor in complete distress. He walked to her and sat down next to her. "What's wrong, querido?" _(What's wrong, darling__?)_

Letty didn't speak, but only laid her head on his shoulder and cried a little harder. Paco brushed her hair back and consoled the younger women. He didn't know much about her, but he knew from the day they met that she was hurting from something. He wasn't sure if it was a man, but he had a feeling that was part of it.

"I dunno who this idiota is who hurt you, but he isn't worth all these tears."

"Paco, I'm pregnant."

"Letty, I know. Maria picked up on it. Plus, you're face is filling out better," he chuckled, pinching her cheeks. "Where is the father?"

"Here. In Rio. I thought he was in jail."

"Well go get the buster and let him take care of you two," Paco said as if it were so simple.

"He left me before, Paco. Who's to say when he finds out about the baby that he won't do it again?"

It was her biggest fear about children. She knew Dominic was a die-hard family man, but she didn't know about children. He was too worried about money and his cars. He didn't have time for children then.

But what about now? Surely he was still a fugitive, and if he didn't want Letty around, he really wouldn't want to bring a child into the picture.

"I met Maria when I was sixteen years old, and she was fifteen," Paco started, "To be honest, I didn't want anything from her but sex. But Maria was a good girl, she made me work for her. I had to get permission from her father just to take her out, the old traditional way. But like a fool, I slept with her and broke her heart. I walked away."

Letty furrowed her brows with surprise. The Guzman's seemed like they had been in love for a lifetime. "Why?"

"I was so worried about hanging with my friends and acting like hoodlums. I almost lost her."

"Sounds like Dom and I," said Letty. "How'd you get her back?"

"Lotta begging and a whole lot of gifts," the two shared a laugh. Then Paco got serious again. "After a while, the love just wasn't the same. But after we had our first kid, Paolo, I realized how strong and passionate she was. I fell in love with that. Married her a year later. Our child saved our love. It can do the same for you. Just don't be too hard on him. If he can deal with a smart, headstrong woman like you, a newborn will be a piece of cake," Paco smiled, standing to his feet. He helped Letty up and wiped away her tears. He planted a kiss to her forehead, much like the way Mr. Toretto used too, and waved her a goodnight.

Letty turned in for bed early that night. Looking over, she realized that it was 6:45. Her date with Roman was at eight.

_Fuck_. No matter what she'd decide to do about Dominic, she could at least give Roman a date. She would then tell him about her pregnancy and Dominic.

Letty quickly showered and curled her hair. She then realized she didn't have anything proper to wear for a nice dinner. She knew it was a long-shot, but she went to Maria for help.

"I have the perfect dress," Maria said only a few minutes later. "My niece stayed here a while and left this dress here, along with other things. It'll fit you perfect and hide the young one," she said enthusiastically. She pulled out a black, long-sleeved dress with a plunging neckline. It flowed out at the waist, no doubt hiding Letty's small baby-bump.

"Oooh, look what else!" Maria cheered as she pulled out a pair of black stilettos. Letty rolled her eyes but took the shoes. It'd probably be the last time she'd be wearing heels anyways.

She slipped in the heels and placed on a few accessories and gave herself a once-over in the mirror. She put on a fake smile and walked out the door.

* * *

Dom buttoned his collar then unbuttoned it for the fourth time. He wasn't sure which way he liked his navy blue button-up, but he left it a few buttons loose, showing off his chest a little. He checked out his outfit in the mirror one last time, his blue dress shirt and loose white cargo pants, and walked out of his room.

"Ow, ow! Aye papi," Daisy catcalled as Dom entered the lounge, where Mia, Brian and Daisy were watching a movie. Dom grinned and held out his arms, doing a spin.

"How do I look?"

"Oblivious," Mia muttered, still fuming from their earlier argument.

Before he could speak, Roman and Leon entered the room, both dressed to impress. Leon, wearing a white dress shirt and black slacks, and Rome in a white tee, a black and white cardigan and jeans.

"Leon, are you working valet tonight at the restaurant?" Vince sniped sarcastically.

"Hey now," Daisy piped up, showing off a gorgeous white halter-top sundress. It showed off her long, slender legs and beautiful tan. "I think he looks handsome."

Leon grinned and flipped Vince the bird behind Daisy's back as she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"V, why don't you go out man? Get out of the house for a while," Julius spoke from the door. He had a poker game to attend. "Come out with me. Win some money."

"That ain't V's scene. He'd rather booze up and hook up with some strange hooker. He's more of a sit-around-and-hate-the-world kinda guy."

Vince returned the offensive hand gesture but stood and left the room. "I'm going to the bar."

The group headed to the their respective cars. Rome started the BMW and talked to Daisy about directions. Dom started the Buick and headed to Giselle's place, counting down the moment until he was driving something with more muscle. Leon, the confident man he was, jumped in the driver seat of Daisy's bright pink Mazda.

Vince snorted, "Like I said … pussy."

"I drove around a banana for three years. This ain't gonna kill me," Leon shouted from the car.

The group split off to their destinations.

**-X-**

Ten minutes later, Dominic arrived outside of a two-story brick home with a large yard. Dom was still surprised. For some reason, he expected her to live in a palace-type mansion. It was simple, homey.

Dominic took a deep breath and exited the car. He was nervous. Dom hadn't been on a date with anyone other than Letty since he was eighteen. _Shitty idea to start again at twenty-seven_. He rang the doorbell, shoving his moist palms into his pockets. Giselle answered only seconds later in a navy blue form-fitting dress and pin-straight hair. Dom was speechless at how stunning she looked. Not to mention how well she was able to hide her bruised cheek with makeup.

"I guess great minds think alike after all," Giselle spoke, referring to their color-matching attire.

"You look amazing."

Giselle smiled sweetly and grabbed her clutch, closing the door behind her. Like a true gentleman, Dominic opened the car door for her and shut it after she slid in. She watched as he swaggered over to the driver seat confidently. He was one hell of a man.

"This is a bit of a triple date," she looked at him with confusion. "Leon finally asked Daisy out and Roman is bringing this Fabiana girl," Dom spoke after several minutes into the quiet drive.

"Sounds exciting," Giselle said without enthusiasm. Dom caught it, but didn't speak on it. "So," she changed the subject quickly, "Why don't you race anymore?"

Dom furrowed his brows, curious about the question. It was totally out of left field. "It's done me no good. I mean yeah, it gave me and the Team incredible opportunities of money and popularity, but it ultimately led to our demise."

"Hm. Well I think you should get back into it. It'd be a serious money maker," Giselle's words were surprising Dom. He hadn't thought about getting back into racing before. He didn't know if it'd be the same without the original Team. He also wasn't sure why Giselle was bringing it up.

"I dunno. I don't think the boys would be up for it without Jesse or Letty. It just wouldn't be the same."

"Well they can be replaced. I can find another tech geek around. And I can be your trophy-girl," Dom was disturbed and disgusted by her words. Neither Jesse nor Letty could be replaced, ever.

"Um, why're we talking about this again?"

"Because, you guys were clearly a big deal in Los Angeles. It would be nice to flow in the money again. Here in Rio, they is a very exclusive racing scene downtown. The area's kinda small because the roads aren't that great around here, but in this part of town, the roads are made for racing."

Dom nodded, still not understanding what Giselle was getting at. They were pulling up to the restaurant, which was lit up immaculately on the outside. There was a young man standing outside the door, taking keys from patrons to valet their cars. He could see Leon and Daisy standing outside the doors, waiting for them.

"How about we talk about this more later?" Dom was irritated and knew any more talk of her being his 'trophy-girl' would send him off the wagon. Giselle nodded and put back on her dazzling smile.

**-X-**

When Roman arrived at Florentino's garage, he couldn't spot another car for miles. He looked at his watch, which read 8:06. He didn't want to think about the idea of being stood up, so he waited patiently. Roman fiddled with the radio in the BMW, stopping on a slow jazz-like tune playing. He leaned his head against the headrest as he waited for his date.

"Not tired already are you?" a sultry voice called from his window. Roman looked up to see his date. His mouth dropped as his scanned her outfit, taking in the deep color of her skin being showed off by her dress.

"No ma'am," Roman smiled as he got out the car. "How'd you get here?"

"Drove. Parked my Lexus inside. Let's head out," she smiled as Roman ran around and opened the car door for her. "Nice ride. How'd you get a BMW?"

"This woman helping us out at the garage. She's got a few connects and got us a couple cars. You'll meet her tonight. I guess we got a triple date," Roman shrugged. Letty was interested now, considering he was living with Mia and Brian.

"Is Mia and Brian coming?" she slipped, unable to catch herself.

"How do you know Brian?"

"Long ass story," Letty mumbled, casting her gaze at the night sky. It was lit from the many lights of the city and she wished she could lay under them and get her life together. "Who's coming to dinner?" she retreated.

"Leon and Julius' sister Daisy, and Dom and Giselle," Letty's body shut down at the mention of his name.

_Dom. In Brazil. With another woman._

She couldn't really say she didn't see it coming. Dominic wasn't always the faithful type. And considering he thought she was deceased, maybe he was moving on.

"Four fucking months," she said, unaware that she was thinking aloud.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing. Is this it?" she asked, pointing to the edifice, which looked classy and modern.

"Yep. Oh look, they waited for us."


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm gonna make a strange leap here. Stay with me folks.**

**Chapter 10-Whatever Happens, Happens**

Roman and Letty exited to the, handing the keys to the valet. Letty noticed a tall, tan guy with his back to her, standing with a dazzlingly young woman. The woman tapped him on the shoulder as they approached.

"I swear Giselle is a bitch," the man's voice said and caused Letty to stop in her tracks. Letty instantly knew it and her heart thumped. The last type she heard that twangy Southern-boy accent, she was saying goodbye to Leon in Mexico. Her and Dominic were heading to the DR, leaving Leon behind until he was ready to go back to the US. She had always loved that Texan accent.

He finally turned away, his jaw going slack at the sight in front of him. Letty locked eyes with her green-eyed brother Leon. Leon stood frozen, unable to blink or look away.

"Rome," Leon slowly walked to her, "Please tell me I'm not seeing things, man."

Leon was now inches away from Letty, looking over her body in disbelief.

"Look, I know she's gorgeous, but shit Le. Your girl's right there," Roman said, stepping next to Letty.

Letty smiled at her old friend, but only to keep from crying. He hadn't changed a bit, still looking like a rugged Southern boy.

"Let?" Leon's words were so soft that he wasn't sure if he'd even spoken.

She couldn't help that tear that dripped from her eye. It was a happy tear. Hell, she didn't even correct him on her name.

"Well don't just stand there, Pretty Boy," she opened her arms and welcomed him in. Leon quickly scooped Letty up, spinning her in the air.

Letty exhaled, happy to be in familiar arms. Arms that she cried in after her and Dom fought. Arms that would carry her to the bathroom after a drinking contest with Vince. Arms that rescued her out of that wreckage in the desert.

She would always love those arms that did so much for her.

"Letty, baby girl," he murmured his nickname for her into her hair. "You're alive."

"You're alive as well," she giggled (something she rarely did) when he finally put her down.

"Letty-"

"Why do you keep calling her Letty? Her name is Fabiana," Roman corrected, his jealousy seeping through. He didn't like the way Leon was all over his date.

Letty pinched the bridge of her nose while Leon grinned. She secretly wished Roman would shut the hell up.

"Fabi!" Leon howled with laughter. He and Jesse teased her crazily once they heard Dominic screaming her middle name in the heat of passion.

"You're still an ass," she smacked his arm.

"Where have you been, chica?"

"Nope. Not doing this now. You have a date and so do I," she smiled, grabbing Roman's hand. Leon saw the affectionate move and winced. Letty pretended as if she didn't notice. "So get with Mia and O'Connor tomorrow, and whoever the hell else is here. We're gonna meet up and talk. Just please, don't tell Dominic," her eyes begged. She didn't want to deal with Dominic right now. She wasn't emotionally stable to talk to him.

Leon opened his mouth to object, but she put her hand in his face. "Leon, if you say another word, I swear."

Her shut his mouth and smiled again. She hadn't changed a bit in the five years that she had been away from him. "You have a beautiful girl standing over there waiting for you. Get over there before I do."

Leon rolled his eyes and kissed her cheek. "Well we got our seats together, but Giselle wanted somewhere private so they already went in," Leon shrugged as they all walked in, pointing to the table with a card that read Roman's name a few feet away from theirs.

The four of them walked into the restaurant, which was full of bright colors and people. The furniture and tables were very vintage, and all the waiters looked the same: bald. The smell of food instantly hit Letty's nostrils and she suddenly craved a burger. She wasn't sure what type of food they served, but she definitely wanted a burger.

"Come on. I'll explain," Letty said to Roman, who looked completely flabbergasted.

_This should be interesting._

* * *

When Vince got to town, he searched for a small local bar to drink his worries away. He didn't trust Julius, he didn't like Giselle, and he despised Rio. Sure, the scenery and women were great, but it wasn't home for him. He missed home. The rough streets of L.A where he was born and raised. He missed the Mad Scientist. And he definitely missed Letty.

Vince found a small bar called _Felipe's_ and parked in the nearly empty lot. He could smell the alcohol from there. He shut off his car and proceeded to the door. Once inside, he could hear low Spanish music playing from a jukebox in a corner, and very few patrons in the bar.

"Jack," he said to the man behind the bar. He took a stool at the bar and dropped his head on the counter-top.

He was beyond stressed to the max. He knew he shouldn't be. He should be enjoying the new garage, the mansion, and freedom of being out of prison. But those four years he spent locked up changed Vince. As much as he didn't to admit it, it did. Probably worse than it did Dominic. He could vividly remember his first night in Lompoc.

_January 2005_

_Vince sat on the rocky bus with his head on the back of his seat. He tried to breathe through his mouth as his seat-mate's stench became stronger. He clenched his teeth as he tried to sleep for the rest of the ride._

_He was on his way to his new home for the next four years - a six-by-eight foot jail cell in Lompoc Correctional Facility. He was angry with Dom, Brian Earl Spilner, and definitely himself. He had been dumb, agreeing to jump on a speeding eighteen-wheeler for Dom's greed. And now he was paying for it with a bum arm and slight limp. Not to mention how angry he was that Dominic hadn't listened to him._

_If there was anything Vince knew, he knew cops. He could almost smell the badge from miles away. And when he tried to warn Dominic about Brian, he didn't listen. Therefore, it was Dom's fault that Vince was getting locked up. Because he trusted the buster and instead of taking the heat for his own bullshit idea, he left Vince to take the fall._

_Vince vowed from that day that when he found Dom again, he would give him the ass-kicking of the century._

"Let's get another," Vince growled as he threw his shot back.

_Vince carried his smelly blanket, his two pair of undies and socks, and white t-shirts down the hallway with the guard. He tried to ignore the yells and taunts of the inmates but knew they wouldn't stop. He was fresh meat. It was a display he'd have to deal with for a while._

_The cage door to his cell opened while the guard listed off his new life._

"_You get one shower at eight a.m ; chow-time is at two p.m. You get two hours of Rec-time a day and lights out at midnight. Don't leave your cell unless you are directed to by a guard. The easiest way to get through your time is to do what you're told. You wanna make it harder, just act like the rest of these fuckwits. Have fun, Ronaldo," he chuckled as the cell door slammed shut._

_V wanted to cry, but he wasn't that dumb. He wasn't about to show any weakness in a place like this; it could get him killed. He barely cried in front of the team._

_Instead, he crawled onto the concrete-like bottom bunk and used his new gifts as a better pillow. The stench of sweat and blood hit him hard as he encountered the bottom of the top bunk. He got the sensation to puke, but knew that wouldn't be a great thing on his first night either._

_He rolled over to face the hallway. He wasn't ready to sleep with his back to the danger on the outside of the cage. He knew it was still early, probably right after the last hour of Rec-time. He figured that's what had the other prisoners so hyped up._

"_Fressh Meeat," he could hear the sing-song chants from the other inmates taunting him. He clenched his jaw to keep from yelling back. He wanted to scream, to claw his way out of the concrete walls and back to his normal life._

_His world went dark as the lights went out and the place went black. For some reason, the chants and hollers seemed louder, his senses on full throttle._

_He clutched at his ears to try tuning out his animalistic roommates. He sweated profusely, or was that tears? He couldn't tell the difference as his body shook with pure anger and fear._

_He wasn't going to survive four years. He was going to die in this cell. Either by his own hands, or one of those brutes._

"Rough night?" a woman's voice caught Vince's attention. She was standing behind the counter with a tired smile. Vince looked around for the older man who had been serving him. "While you were drowning your sorrows in Jack, James' shift ended."

Vince nodded and took in the woman's face. She had light skin, shoulder-length black hair that hung in ringlets and deep brown almond eyes. Her nose was small, but her pink full lips made up for it.

His version of approval was a curt nod and a grunt.

"Here's another Jack. On the house," Vince lifted the shot glass and tipped it to her before throwing it back. "You know the whole Caveman thing you got going really works for you," she smirked.

He shrugged, "What's your name?"

"Kameron with a K," she held out her hand for him to shake.

"Well hello, Kameron with a K. I'm Vince with a V," he said sarcastically, shaking her hand.

"Hardy har-har," she squinted her eyes at him, causing Vince to give a rare bright smile. She could tell it was genuine and probably came once in a blue moon. "So why is V drinking his life away in this dump?" she leaned on the counter-top and gave Vince her attention.

"Long story short: I made some decisions and screwed up my life. I can never stop running."

"Running from what?"

"My past."

Before she could try to get more out of him, another patron began yelling.

"Hey! Hey! Can I get some fucking service?" a shit-faced man slurred from the other end of the bar.

She gave Vince a look and he nodded, watching her hurry to the man. "God, what is with _you_ _people_? Your job is as simple as making a fuckin' drink, and you can't even get that right."

His drunk friends laughed, high-fiving the offender.

Vince noticed Kameron wince, and realized she probably took a lot of shit from the late-night drinkers.

"What can I get you Barry?" Kameron asked as sweet as possible. She ignored his insults, she was used to them. He and his construction-worker buddies came in every night and drank until they were kicked out. James, the owner of the pub, needed the income too bad to ban them. It was rare enough to get one customer, let alone have frequenters.

"What the fuck do I order every night, dummy? Get me and the boys some Whiskey."

"Hey," Vince called down the bar. He didn't like the way this guy was talking to Kameron. She seemed nice enough. "Don't talk to the lady like that."

Barry chuckled, looking back at his friends. "Hey, why don't you mind your own business, buddy. I'll talk to _it_ however I'd like."

Kameron could see the way Vince's fist clenched around his glass and was afraid it would break easily in his grip. She gave him a look that begged him to let it go, but he couldn't. Vince never allowed women to be disrespected in his presence.

Vince stood on wobbly legs and marched over to the group of men.

"Vince! Don't," Kameron pleaded, reaching over and grabbing his arm.

"Oh look boys, it has jungle fever," Barry joked, his boys cackling with laughter.

Before he could stop himself, Vince planted a hard headbutt on Barry's face, dropping him to the floor of the bar. His boys sobered up and tried to pounce on Vince, but failed miserably. Vince picked up the smallest guy and slammed him through a nearby table. He grabbed another man, bouncing his head off the counter top.

"V, behind you!" Kameron warned and as V turned, he easily caught the chair that was being aimed at his head. He snatched it out of the man's hands and effortlessly snapped it over his knee, wood flying all over the place. The man smartened up and ran out of the bar, three others behind him.

Vince turned to face the last and biggest guy of the group. He had at least two-hundred pounds on Vince, three-to-four inches in height, and hands the size of boulders.

"I wanna see you try that with me," he grovelled, his voice deep and frightful.

Vince looked him up and down, trying to plot how to take the big man down. He figured he'd wing it and waved the big guy to him. When he charged Vince, he tackled him up against the bar, sending shocking waves through Vince's body. Vince pointed to a large bottle of alcohol, which Kameron handed to him happily. Vince hit the man over the head, the bottle smashing into pieces. He let Vince go and staggered away, holding onto his aching scalp. Vince pounced on the man, punching him fearlessly in the face.

When Vince finally got him to the ground, he gave him one good kick to the face, knocking the man unconscious. When he tried it again, Kameron's arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him away.

"Vince, enough," she whispered, snapping him out of his rage. He looked around, finally aware of the damage caused to the bar. She could see he wanted to apologize, and stopped him. "Don't. Let's just get you out of here. I'll call James in the morning. Help me get these assholes to the curb."

* * *

"Wow. Let me get this straight … you and the boys used to be apart of the street-racing-slash-truck-heisting team that Brian was sent to take down?"

Letty nodded.

"And he let you go and everybody split, leaving you and Dom to run off to the Dominic Republic to jack gas tankers?"

She nodded again.

"And after thinking you were dead, he and Brian teamed up to avenge your death. Now you're pregnant with Dom's kid and he has no idea that you're alive?"

"That's basically it."

"And you're real name _isn't_ Fabiana Dominguez, is it?"

She gave an apologetic smile. "Not completely true. My real name is Leticia Ortiz. Fabiana is my middle, Dominguez is my mother's maiden. I was just protecting myself, Rome."

"I understand. So where does that leave us? I mean, are you just gonna run back to that punk after he ditched you?"

Letty shrugged, taking a bite of her burger. She had to raise hell for it, but she got her burger. "No clue. I don't really want to face him yet. I know I have to sooner or later."

"So I really don't have a chance in hell, huh?" Roman asked with a weak smile. He was infatuated with Letty and didn't want to let go of her just yet.

"Hey now, I'm not saying that," she gave him a smile. "I'm just saying whatever happens, happens."

**-X-**

Dominic rolled his eyes as Giselle continued rambling about something he didn't care about. He was still fuming from her forcing him to sit in a completely different area of the others. He barely got a word in with her, so he just continued to scrape at his steak and baked potato meal.

"Are you listening to me Dominic?"

Dom nodded as she shoveled the last of his potato into his mouth. He looked at her, even if his mind was millions of miles away. He couldn't help but go back to Mia's words from earlier today.

_**Letty's here …**_

_**Letty's here in Rio.**_

_Could Mia and O'Connor have been telling the truth? Yeah, Mia hates when I date airheads (and Giselle is clearly an airhead), but she'd never go this far to keep me away from one. She would never lie when it came to Letty, especially at a time like this._

_Would she?_

Dom heard a laugh that made his skin crawl. It was so familiar, so husky that it instantly aroused him. It was like an echo as the woman's voice grew louder.

He could feel his erection growing stronger, the way the expression had many times before. That laugh had always received a strong reaction like this. Dom looked down to his pants, observing how visibly tight they were.

He was rock hard and couldn't do a damn thing about it. Instead, he called over the nearest waiter he had seen.

"Do you have a pen?" the waiter nodded and handed over his pen. Dom scribbled something down on a napkin. "Do you hear that laugh?"

The waiter paused and looked around, listening for the chuckle. He recognized it from earlier and nodded.

"Yes, that is a beautiful young lady," he looked to Dom's date, who wasn't happy at all. He cleared his throat nervously, "What about it?"

"Give this to the owner of that laugh. Make sure she reads it," Dom said firmly and excused himself from the table.

He grasped his hands together in front of his pants as his slowly walked to the men's room.

**-X-**

Letty couldn't stop her laughter or even hold it in. Roman was funny and she liked that. She could finally feel herself relaxing after a long, stressful day.

"Roman, you're a goofball," she teased as she took a sip of her water.

"Hey, I told you, Brian is a punk. He always has been. He's just a pretty boy, that's why women fall for him."

"You gonna talk about your boyfriend all night?" Leon whispered loudly from his table. Roman gave him the finger and Letty laughed again.

She watched as a waiter approached her table and reached into his apron.

"This is from a gentleman over there. He says to make sure you read it."

Roman gave her a curious eyebrow, but nodded to the paper. Letty opened the napkin and immediately recognized the chicken-scratch.

_**Your laugh still gives me a boner. Even after all these years. **_

_**If you know who this is, meet me in the men's bathroom.**_

_**And don't complain because it's the men's bathroom, it's not like we haven't done it before.**_

_**-D.**_

Letty covered her mouth as a small chuckle sneaked out. "I really need to use the bathroom. I'll be right back," she kissed his cheek to put his worries to rest.

She checked for anyone watching her as she slipped into the bathroom. Before she knew it, she was being twirled around and pushed hard against the door, the hand slipping down to lock it. Soon after, lips were crushing hers, feverishly and painfully. She bit down on the bottom lip hard, a notion she was used to with these particular lips. Tongues played and lips sucked, dancing in a familiar rhythm.

When she was finally forced to breathe again, she pushed the lips away from her face.

"Letty," Dom spoke softly with a smile.

"Dominic," Letty smirked.

She pulled back and slapped him so hard that it echoed off the walls.


	11. Chapter 11

**Just a little FYI, my character of Kameron is loosely based off actress Jennifer Freeman. Very loosely.**

**P.S. I know you guys wanted a different Dom/Letty reunion and I'm sorry to disappoint, but I have a twisted brain. I just don't see Letty as the easily-forgiving type. But don't worry, there _WILL_ be a Dotty reunion.**

**Chapter 11-Caged Emotions**

"So where the hell did you learn to fight like that?" Kameron questioned as she shifted gears of Vince's Scion.

"I spent four years in prison. Nothing much to do but lift weights. When I got out, I figured I'd take up some martial arts to put that muscle to use," Vince shrugged as he looked out the window. He had a massive migraine and regretted doing all those shots. "Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you back to my place," she said, chancing a glance at Vince. "Don't get that idea, Caveman. I just don't know where you live and I don't have a car. You can sober up there and drive yourself home."

Vince nodded and leaned his head against the cool glass. He shut his eyes, but peeked out one to watch Kameron drive. She handled the five-speed with ease, something Vince didn't see every day. There were only two females that he knew that could drive a stick – Mia and Letty.

"Enjoying the view?" she questioned without looking at him. She had a sexy smile on her face, and it brought out a chuckle from him.

"Just curious how you learned to drive like that."

"I was born in a garage."

Vince snorted, he had heard that line before.

"No seriously," he pushed.

Kameron smiled, "Seriously, I was born in a garage. When my mother was pregnant with me, she was in the process of getting her Ford Explorer worked on when her water broke. The hospital was on the other side of town, so she had no choice but to give birth to me there. Every year she took me back to visit those guys, they were like family to me. Eventually taught me how to drive," she shrugged as she pulled up to her place. "We're here."

She locked up the Scion and tossed the keys to Vince as they approached her tiny two-story home. He followed her close to her home, taking in the comfortable vibe the house radiated. He followed her inside as she flicked on lights, showing off the large wrap-around sofa and relatively large television in the living room.

"Follow me," she said as she proceeded through a hallway. She pointed to a door on the left, "Bathroom." Kameron continued down the hall that opened into a large kitchen.

"Lemme guess, kitchen?" Vince quipped, looking around at the fully stocked room. There were snacks stacked on the counter and he figured the fridge was packed. She perceived the look on his face was from hunger and waved him to it. "Feel free. There's a throw on the back of the couch. Extra sheets are in the closet. I'm going to bed."

"Hey … thanks," Vince whispered from the inside the refrigerator door.

She gave him a warm smile that he couldn't help but reciprocating. "Don't mention it. Just don't try anything creepy. Those mechanics I grew up around taught me how to fight too."

* * *

"I guess I deserved that," Dom grumbled, rubbing his sore cheek.

Letty scowled and hit him again, this time punching him.

"You still pack a hard punch," he rubbed his sore eye.

When he noticed Letty about to hit him, he grabbed her hand and slammed her against the door again. The corner of Letty's mouth turned up and she gave Dom a swift knee to the balls. He right away fell to his knees, cupping his aching parts.

"You done, or what?" he mumbled as is he tried to massage the pain away.

"You got some fucking nerve, Dominic Toretto."

Dom could hear the pain in her voice, the way it shook when she said his name. He was afraid to look at her, so he kept his gaze on the floor.

"Look at me, you coward," Letty growled, tears in her eyes. Letty didn't know what it'd be like when she encountered Dom again, but the anger that had been hovering in her since the morning she woke up and he was gone was now surfacing. Dom looked at Letty with watery eyes. "You left me, Dom. Left me in that apartment with a stack of cash and your necklace."

"I'm so sorry, Let. I did it for-"

"Shut. Up," she spat with so much hatred it broke Dom's heart all over again. "Get up."

Dom stood to his feet, but you couldn't tell that he was over six feet tall by the way his shoulders hung in shame. He looked into her eyes and felt the daggers she glared at him.

"You did it for yourself. And in the end, what did it get us Dom? You're STILL wanted by the FBI. I almost lost my life to bring you back. And here you are, in Brazil, with another woman. You're one helluva guy, Dom. You waited four mouths before you hopped in bed some with other bitch. Well you know what Dom? Enjoy her. Because I'm sick and tired of playing your lap dog. I'm done chasing you when you only chase money. I'm done fighting for you, when you only fight for yourself. I'm done with us."

Dom caught her arm before she could leave. He laughed nervously, "Letty, you can't mean that."

She yanked her arm away and looked at him like he was crazy. "I mean it Dom. And I hope your playtime was worth your unborn child. Goodbye Dom."

Letty stormed out of the bathroom, uncaring of who noticed her now. She reached her table and flopped down in the seat in front of Roman.

"Something wrong, babe?" Rome questioned, noticing how visibly upset his date was.

"Roman, take me home," was all she said. He nodded and waved the waiter over for the check. He paid like a gentleman and the two stood to leave.

"Let, you all right?" Leon stopped her.

"Just meet with the others and come see me in the morning Le. Nice to meet you Daisy," Letty smiled, kissing them both on the cheek before storming out.

"Letty!" a fierce yell that could only belong to Dom stopped all motion in the restaurant. Dom turned to Leon, who looked seriously afraid of what was going on with Dom. He knew the older man was a loose cannon and the situation would more likely get worse before it got better. "YOU!" Dom growled, stomping over to Leon and seizing him up by the collar of his dress shirt. He punched him hard in the nose, resulting in blood covering his face and shirt.

"Dom, stop!" Daisy yelled in horror, along with the other patrons.

"Did you know she was alive? Huh?" Dom took his pain out on Leon as he slammed him through the table that was occupied by his ex just moments before.

Shouts of horror and fear filled the room as Dominic loomed over Leon's aching body. He pulled his fist back, ready to put Leon out of his misery when something in him snapped. He looked around, noticing the way everyone looked at him like he was a monster. Like a wild animal who escaped his cage. Dom didn't like being under this type of microscope, so he rushed out of the restaurant, leaving his date behind.

Daisy waited a few seconds before she and a few waiters rushed to Leon's aide. He groaned in agony as the men helped him off of the offending wreckage.

"What the hell was that about?" Daisy asked as she tucked a strand of hair behind her head. She held a napkin to Leon's oozing nose and watched as he tried to sit up. He cradled his left elbow in his arms, allowing her to stop the blood-flow.

"Get Giselle. Let's go home."

* * *

Letty watched the nightlife of Rio from her window as Roman drove to the directions on the piece of paper she had in her clutch. It was directions to her new home, that was surprisingly close to her job and the ocean. It was small on the outside, but being surrounded by sand and water surely made up for it. It was the only house for miles that she could see, enclosed by trees and the Brazilian forest.

"What about your car?" Roman opened the door for her.

"I don't work tomorrow. I'll just have Mia or someone take me there tomorrow," she shrugged, not really in the mood to care. She was still trying to get over the shock and frustration of seeing Dom again.

A part of her wanted to run to him, to jump in his arms and allow him to be her knight again. She just wanted to be wrapped in his bear hug and for their lives to be somewhat normal again. She knew that was her opportunity to be with her family, to be with the man that she truly loved and to be whole again. To have a father there for her child, to take care of them.

But she knew it would be long before any of that could be true. To her, Dom was a traitor. A selfish man – no, _boy_ – who only cared about his car. He barely waited until she was 'in the ground' before he was wining-and-dining another woman. He had the nerve to push up on her, thinking that he could pull her back into his life with anything sexual. That was why she was knocked up to begin with, and she wasn't ready to forgive Dom for being a brute.

She unlocked the door to her home and pushed the door open. She turned to Roman, who watched her expectantly.

"Tonight was very eventful," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. Suddenly, Letty felt bad for him. She realized that he was a very sweet and funny guy, and he was dealing with a lot from her. Once again Dominic stood before her happiness. She was going to let go of her inhibitions and make Letty happy tonight.

"Would you like the honor of joining me on my first home tour?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Roman gave a big cheeky smile and nodded, allowing her to take his hand and lead him into the home.

"This is the living room, I guess," she said in disgust at the hideous floral-patterned sofas and green shag rug on the hardwood floors.

"How … different," Roman said.

She continued throughout the house, loving the space but hating the interior design. It was definitely in need of some work. She discovered two bedrooms upstairs and a smaller one near the kitchen. There was a basement, but she would avoid the stairs for now. Her feet were already aching from the heels.

Just when she had lost all hope of feeling at home, the two entered the last room in the house. It was like a second living room, with a large sofa directly across from a huge wall-length window that faced the ocean. It was gave an instant relaxing vibe and Letty could see herself spending most of her time in the room. She looked on as the waves crashed on the shore, the smell seeping through her home. She loved it. Letty noticed an art painting on a nearby wall and remembered it from her past vacations with her parents to Puerto Rico. It was called _Arrufos_, a painting of a woman kneeled by her bed in distress, her husband arrogantly enjoying his pipe nearby. It was a painting that spoke to her, as she was somehow able to relate.

She decided that during her home make-over, the photo would stay.

"Come on, I spotted a television in the bedroom," she said bluntly.

Letty snuggled up against Roman's warm body as she lay with her eyes closed on the bed. He had taken off his cardigan and wrapped it around Letty's body. He was a gentleman, something she hadn't experienced with a man before. Dom had his moments, but he was too much of a bad boy to be a gentleman. Letty took in the deep smell of men's cologne and felt herself getting riled up. She loved that masculine scent and Roman's differed from Dom's, another factor she loved.

Letty lay in such relaxation, it was almost a slumber. She could hear Roman's small breaths, but wasn't sure if he was awake.

"Ro?" she whispered, placing her hand on his bicep. His muscle tensed under her touch, sending lustful waves through her body. She continued to rub his arm and felt how rock solid his muscles were. Her hand traveled to his chest and she trailed her fingers down his white tee shirt, admiring his rock hard abs underneath. She licked her lips to contain a moan.

"You get your feel yet?" Roman's husky voice startled her.

Letty blushed, "How long have you been awake?"

"I was never asleep. Just resting my eyes," he grumbled, pulling Letty onto his lap. Letty could feel his excitement from her rubdown and couldn't help but grin.

"Not all of you is sleeping," she quipped.

Roman smirked, crashing his lips against Letty's. He couldn't hold off any longer. To her surprise, she kissed him back, enjoying the taste of his mint gum. Without hesitation, Letty came out of her dress, standing over Roman in a sheer lace bra and a black thong. Roman growled and yanked her back down on top of him. The two locked lips again feverishly as Letty felt up Rome's shirt, scratching against his pecs.

Rome pulled away while he still could, "Is this okay? I mean you're pregnant and I don't wanna-"

She kissed him again, stopping his train of thought. "It's fine. I promise."

Letty wouldn't put her child at risk with sex if her doctor hadn't told her it was okay. She felt as if she needed it, needed to feel wanted again. And from what she could tell and feel, Roman wanted her.

So she would give herself to him tonight with hopes that when she woke the next morning, the past five years of her life would've been a dream.


	12. Chapter 12

**I know that was a rough chapter, but stay with me people. I love DOTTY.**

**Chapter 12-A Broken Family**

Dom nearly ripped the shifter out of its place as he slammed his car in park in front of the mansion. He ripped every button off his shirt as he snatched it open then kicked the front door in. Dom stalked to the lounge, where Mia and Brian were getting hot and heavy. This enraged Dom even more as he grabbed Brian by the back of the neck.

"Dom! What's goin' on?" Mia screamed and fixed her clothes.

"Dominic?" Brian tried to snap Dom out of the daze he seemed to be in. He was struggling to breathe with Dom's massive hands wrapped around his throat.

"You told me she was dead," Dom ground out as he pinned Brian to a wall, hands ready to snap Brian's neck.

"I thought she was!" Brian sputtered.

"You thought wrong," Dom slammed Brian by his throat through the glass table.

"Dominic please!" Mia cried as she tried to pull her brother from her lover. Dom shrugged her off and began punching Brian in the face.

"You've lied to me for the last time O'Connor," Dom picked him up and carried him to the door.

"Dominic, please! What's going on?" Mia grabbed his hand before he could swing again. Dom dropped Brian's lifeless body to the floor and turned to her.

"Letty was at the restaurant. She's alive," Mia turned away, unable to look directly in her brother's raging eyes. "Mia, did you know this?"

"Dom, we tried to tell you earlier! You didn't want to listen!" Mia explained.

"Hey man, you need to relax," Brian mumbled as he tried to stagger to his feet.

Enraged, Dom looked over his shoulder at his prey and pounced on him.

**-X-**

"Coyote, where are you man?" Leon spat into his prepaid phone on the way home. His back ached, he was almost positive his elbow was shattered and his broken nose was interfering with his breathing.

"What's going on Le?" Vince answered his phone after an hour of sleep.

"Dawg, you wouldn't believe it. Just get to the house man. Dom is literally about to kill someone," Leon said, holding the napkin to his still-bleeding nose.

Vince hung up and shoved his boots back on. He thought about going up to Kameron's room but thought writing her a note would be more appropriate. He scribbled a few words down and left it on the sofa where he previously slept.

Twenty minutes later, Vince parked the Scion behind the pink Mazda and could hear yelling in the home. He hurried to the house, only for the front door to slam open, Brian's shirtless body going airborne over the steps and into the gravel. Dom stormed after him, shirtless.

"Dom please!" Mia cried out from the porch as Dom stalked after Brian like prey.

"V, stop him!" Leon yelled from the porch.

Vince gave Leon a look that said _'why should I?'_

"Vince, Letty's alive. Stop Dom before he kills him," Leon explained. He was in no condition to jump in front of the runaway train that was Dom. The only way to stop him was with the army tank that was Vince.

Vince stepped to Dom, who was pounding every available part on Brian's body. Dom looked up at Vince and knew it was on. He stood up straight and cracked his neck. He stepped over the nearly lifeless body that was Brian's and stood nose-to-nose with Vince.

"You sure you want this?" Dom asked cockily, smiling at Vince.

Vince saw his black-eye and knew it was only one person that could do that to Dom – Letty.

"Letty give you that shiner?"

Vince knew by the empty look in his eyes that Dom wasn't Dom. He was soulless right now. He wanted someone's life for the pain that he was feeling. Vince wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

Dom tackled Vince to the ground, landing hard fists into V's sides. Vince held Dom in a headlock to disorient him a little more into relaxing. Instead, Dom lifted Vince's body from the ground, roaring as he slammed him into a nearby car, which happened to be his Buick. When he received a groan from Vince, he backed off to punch him but didn't see Vince's boot coming at his face.

Dom staggered away and Vince pounded on him. The two rolled around in the gravel, limbs flying all over until a shot was fired into the air.

"Enough!" Daisy screamed, her gun still in the air. "Everyone in the fucking house, now."

Vince was the first to stagger to his feet, kicking gravel at Dom as a last taunt.

Inside, Mia had Brian on the sofa, cleaning the blood from his face. She was crying while trying to steadily stitch up a cut on his chin. She was playing doctor to everyone after having rigged a splint for Leon's arm.

"Everyone sit the fuck down. You talk, I shoot," Daisy was fed up with the drama from these people. She wasn't going to be associated with them if this behavior was regular. Something was off with them, almost as if something was missing.

"Big gun for a little girl," Dom snarled from the kitchen. Daisy marched to him, sticking the barrel of the Snub-nose .38 to his forehead, her finger itching on the trigger.

"I don't like you Dom. I don't trust you very well and I studied forensic science in college; I know how to make your death look like an accident."

Dom clenched his teeth, but looked away. He didn't want to test her.

"What the hell's going on with you people? Why are you in Brazil and who this hell is this Letty?"

The room remained silent, sans Brian's wincing from his new stitches.

"Did I stutter?" Daisy demanded, cocking her gun.

"Letty is a part of our Team. After the heists, everyone split up. Dom and Letty went to the DR, and Jackass left her behind," Leon spoke.

"To protect her," Dom mumbled his sorry excuse. "I didn't want her with me if the cops caught me. She would be thrown under the jail right with me."

"Are you dumb?" Daisy chastised. "She's a Latina! We are the most loyal women. We will stick by your sorry ass through it all. You pushing her away probably just killed all hopes of getting your family back," Daisy sighed, trying to relax. "What else?"

"After Dom left, Letty came home and got a hold of the FBI. She worked with Brian on a case to get Dom's warrant dropped. But the case was a suicide mission and Letty ended up getting killed. Or so we thought," Mia filled in. "Dom and Brian picked up the case but the system flipped. Gave Dom a 25-to-life sentence. We got to him first and here we are."

"So why is Dom trying to murder everyone?"

"Because he's a fucking punk bully," Vince spat, holding a bag of frozen peas on his side.

"Dom, we tried to tell you. You wouldn't listen," Brian said over a busted lip. "I called back home last night to get some info. Letty was in the Roadrunner, but so was another driver. Letty escaped before the car exploded. There hasn't been any records of Letty in America or Mexico since then. She just vanished."

Dom didn't speak. He sat numbly on his stool, staring into space. He knew he shouldn't have attacked his friends, his family. He would be apologizing for a long time.

Dominic just couldn't get Letty out of his head. She was glowing and that dress made him want to make love to her on that bathroom floor.

That image would be forever engraved in his brain. Not to mention how pissed off she was with him. Her words stung like nothing he had ever experienced. She had it all wrong, though. He loved her and wanted nothing more than to be with her. He had no idea that she was even alive. Dominic needed to get to her, to get her to understand that he _needed_ her in his life.

_I hope she was worth your unborn child._

It had just dawned on Dominic; Letty was pregnant. With his child. When he left Letty in Panama City, he left their baby too.

"Letty's pregnant," he muttered to the group. Nobody reacted for a moment, taking in the shocking news. Letty was the last person they expected to get pregnant. She wasn't exactly the motherly type.

"What are you gonna do Dom? Letty is obviously the reason everyone around here is so fucked up. I figure she's the one who keeps you all in line. You have to get her back. It's exhausting me," Daisy said, flopping down on the arm of the sofa.

"I'm going to bed," Dom stood slowly. He needed to be alone and try to get some sleep. He looked over his shoulder at his broken family. "We have some finishing touches to do at the shop, so I expect everyone to be there in the morning, except for Leon. Take a few days to look after your arm."

And just like that, the Team was back to a sense of normality. They began to move to their rooms and rest up for the next work day. Daisy stood in shock at the demand and control this brute had over these people, even after his rampage.

Leon walked over to Daisy, carefully grabbing her gun with his free hand.

"Where'd you get this?"

"My father gave it to me when I turned eighteen and I moved out. If he couldn't look after me anymore, I was gonna have to do it myself," Daisy shrugged. "What the hell is his deal? Why do you guys listen to that maniac?"

"He's Dominic Toretto. He's always had that kind of affect on people. As big an asshole as he is, he's always taken care of us and made sure we were safe. We pay him back with loyalty."

She knew what Leon was saying was true. After being around them for the past few weeks, she could tell Dom took good care of them all.

She still didn't like him, though. He was a bully who needed to be taken down a few notches.

"Come on Pretty, let Mama coddle you back to health," Daisy grinned smacking Leon's butt on the way to her bedroom.

**-X-**

An hour after Dom's meltdown, Mia crept to his bedroom with a bag of ice and the first aid kit. She turned the knob slowly, knowing that he was awake because of small bedside light being on. Dominic couldn't sleep with any light on.

"Dommie?" she whispered when she reached his bed. Laying on his back, Dom's deep browns opened (as far as they could, both being swollen) and looked up at his sister with watery eyes. "Move over, butthead."

Dom made room for Mia to crawl in bed and sit up against the headboard. He laid his head in her lap like he had so many times before.

_A few minutes had passed since Mia was the cause of another one of Dom's beltings from Mr. Toretto. She had accidentally broke the door to the garage trying to sneak a boy in. Dominic, being the protective older brother he was, went after the boy, roughly tossing him against the garage door. Dom took the blame, knowing Mia's punishment would've been a lot worse. So he took those ten beltings and locked himself in his room for the rest of the night._

_Mia felt awful that Dom had to endure the painful punishment, so she decided to sneak into his room and doctor him back to health. She retrieved a cold, wet towel and some ice and crept to Dominic's room across the hall._

"_Dommie?" she whispered as he lay with his hands shoved under his pillow. The light casting from his lamp showed off red whelps and bruises on Dom's broad back and Mia felt even worse._

"_Get out of here Mia. You got me in a enough trouble," Dom groaned._

"_Move over butthead," she whined. Dom made room for his sister. "I'm sorry Dom. I didn't mean to get you in trouble with Dad."_

"_Well you did," Dom hissed as Mia placed the cold towel on his burning back. "A warning would've been great."_

"_It's just so hard to meet boys when your brother is Dominic Toretto. Nobody wants to be seen with me," she rubbed the ice pack on his back slowly, hoping to cool his wounds._

"_Listen, I'll be gentler with your little boyfriends. But as long as I get to approve of them first," Dom rolled over to face her. Mia rolled her eyes at her fifteen year-old brother. He was only a year older but treated her like she was a child._

"_Whatever Doofus. I'm staying here tonight. You got the comfortable bed," she snuggled in next to her brother, who only groaned and rolled away. Mia made sure to keep the cool towel on his back until he was asleep._

_Even though he was a nightmare of a brother, he was only looking out for her. She wouldn't trade him for the world._

Mia rubbed the ice soothingly on Dom's face as he wept soft and suddenly thought he so bad after all. Sure, he had been the cause of many embarrassing and single years through high school, he had always done his best to take care of her.

It was time to repay him the favor. Though she didn't think it'd take much convincing, she would help get Letty back for him. She would be the one thing to make Dom's life complete. Plus, he was moody when he was sad.

"Mia?" Dom mumbled just as she began to dose off. "I'm gonna kill Roman if he touches her."

Mia rubbed Dom's bald head as a reply. She silently hoped that Roman hadn't crossed the line and slept with Letty. That would have some deadly consequences.

* * *

"Letty said you guys were meeting her this morning. I want us all to go, but how are we gonna get out of work?" Leon whispered over his breakfast to Mia the next morning.

"Dom's not my daddy. I can come and go as I please," Vince grovelled into his coffee mug.

"We'll just tell him we're making a parts run and I need the man power."

"Just tell him the truth," Daisy spoke.

"And have him throw another fit? No thank you, sweetheart," V replied. "I just can't believe she's alive."

"Right? Man she looked so good, so healthy. So tough. Same ol' Letty," Mia gushed about her friend.

"Just make sure that little angel doesn't hit me again," Brian chuckled, wincing as he touched his black-eye.

"You scared of a girl, buster?" V teased with a smirk.

"Letty? Shit yeah," the group's laughs silenced when Dom's presence was made.

Daisy rolled her eyes and walked to the sink. Before she knew it, her body was being slammed up against the sink and swiveled around. _Dom._

"I like your spunk, Kid. But if you ever put a gun to my head again, you better pray you get the balls to shoot," Dom said deadly calm.

Daisy looked up at him uninterested and brushed past him to the table. "Continue to act like a dick and I'll show you just how big my balls are."

"Schooled you, dawg!" Leon laughed at the bulging vein on Dom's forehead. Daisy wasn't afraid of him, and it was amusing to the others.

"Get to work," Dom called from over his shoulder as he poured himself a coffee.

"That's gotta wait. We gotta go retrieve parts. Waiting on Giselle to get here," Mia said convincingly. Brian looked at her in disbelief, amazed at how easy it was for her to lie to Dom.

"Ugh, I forgot about her. I'm getting out of here before she shows up."


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming guys.**

**Chapter 13-Pinky and the Brain**

_Letty shoved her hands in her pocket as she watched intensely the scene inside the home. She shivered from cold the current downpour was producing, but she didn't care. She had found him, and was ready to reunite with her longtime lover. She placed her hand over her enlarged belly and started for the door._

_Stopping, she watched as he held the toddler with gentle hands and the widest grin. She couldn't help but smile at his happiness. Dominic twirled the baby in the air, making goofy faces at his child. She could see the identical smile on the baby's face and felt her heart warm over._

_Her world came crashing down when the child's mother stepped in her line of vision, wrapping her arms around Dom's torso. Dom welcomed her embrace and turned in her arms, pulling her in for a family hug._

_Letty ignored the tear that slipped down her face as she watched him. He was happy with another woman, another family. He had left her in Panama City, to start a life without her. He didn't want her, that's why he left. Not to protect her, but to start over without her._

_Suddenly he turned to her, grinning from ear to ear and shrugged. He didn't care that she was there. He didn't care that she was hurting._

_He had moved on from her, and now it was her turn._

"Fuck!" she yelled as she bolted upright, now awake from her nightmare. She had been having the same dream for months and it was fucking with her mind. She had dreamed of finally finding Dom, only to have him crush her hopes by having already started a family with another woman. She knew it was highly unlikely, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

Letty was encouraged to leave bed by the enticing smell of breakfast. She didn't recognize it but welcomed it as she walked to the kitchen. She didn't realize there was any food in the house, so her guest must have went shopping this morning.

Roman was standing at the stove in his low-hung jeans and no shirt, his torso gleaming off the bright morning sun.

"A girl could get used to this," she mused and took a seat at the island. "When did you get food?"

"Woke up early and drove to the nearest grocery store, which might I add is twenty minutes away, and asked what the natives ate for breakfast. Made enough for the whole gang. Those people can get," he smiled, sitting a plate of ham, french bread and queijo cheese in front of her. "I met a nice guy near the store, set me up with some fresh papaya juice."

She smiled as her stomach growled. "Good thing you made a lot. I am eating for two, you know."

"Think you can handle the knuckleheads today? I gotta get to work."

Letty nodded with worried eyes. She knew Dom couldn't have been happy about last night and if anyone would suffer because of it, it would be Roman. He was spending the time with Letty that Dom should have been.

"Be careful. Stay out of trouble and call me later."

Roman flexed his biceps with a toothy grin that made Letty's lady-parts tingle. "I ain't scared of that punk. You be good and stay out of trouble."

Letty finished up her breakfast and walked Roman to the door wearing his cardigan that stopped mid-thigh.

"Thanks for everything Roman. I'm sorry you got caught up in this shit. I wish we could've met under different circumstances."

Roman looked away, knowing this was probably the last intimate moment he would have with Letty. He could tell by the way she talked about Dom that they were destined to be together. They had been through too much to just end things now, and he wouldn't stand in the way of her having a family.

"First time that motherfucker hurts you, I'm scooping you up and we're going back to the States where we're getting married," he said with all seriousness. Letty smiled and kissed his cheek slowly.

"Give Mia those directions," was all she could say before tears sprang to her eyes. She watched as Roman drove off, kicking up gravel on his way out. "Goddamn hormones."

* * *

When Dom arrived at the garage, he noticed a large horizontal box sat against the metal doors. He smiled at the last item to be attached to the garage. He retrieved his pocket knife from his pants and quickly sliced open the box.

It was a red and black sign that read "_Jesse's_" was the new name of the Team's garage. Dom knew instantly that he wanted to name it after their fallen comrade and knew the others wouldn't object. The garage back in LA was like Jesse's home, the kid spent so much time there. He put his heart and soul into every project he was put on and never backed down from a challenge. He loved cars, but loved his family more. Jesse loved working with Letty on cars, knowing that she was just as educated as he. Dom always did love watching the two work together. He would joke with the two, calling them "Pinky and the Brain". They always argued over who was which.

Dom wished Jesse was there to bless the garage with his presence and intelligence. He knew the boy would love to go to town on some imports from Brazil. He silently promised Jesse that he'd take care of the gang and the garage the best way he could.

Dom walked throughout the building to stare at a bare wall. It was an open space that just wouldn't do for him. Dom looked to his left and spotted a spray-paint canister.

Dom had an idea to do something he hadn't done since his rebellious teen years, but felt it'd make the place more … Jesse. Dom opened the front doors for ventilation and slipped on a mask. He picked up the canister and began his graffiti project.

A half-hour later, Dom stood back and pulled down his mask, admiring his artwork; it was a drawing of Jesse's white Jetta with the blue lightning bolt graphics and the double T team logo. He could feel the tears pricking at his eyes looking at the memorial for his dear friend.

He needed a beer.

* * *

"Vince, you alright?" Brian asked through the rearview mirror.

"Fine, Buster. Just watch the roads. You're a bad enough driver as it is."

"He's scared to see Letty. Last time they talked was right before the last heist. He called her a _puta_ and told her to fuck off. She promised to kick his ass," Leon chuckled at V's pissed-off look.

The four of them were piled in the WRX, on their way to Letty's. Mia was ecstatic and decided to buy some prenatal vitamins on the way. She hadn't forgot about the good news of Letty being pregnant and was probably more excited than she.

"She's gotta be Letty times two. Pregnant women are crazy," Vince scoffed, running his hands over his face. He got absolutely no sleep and not even four cups of coffee could prepare for him this.

"This is it," Brian stated a few minutes later.

"Wow. Nice location," Mia muttered at the beauty of the forest-type backdrop for Letty's new home.

The group silenced as the front door opened, their old friend standing there expectantly.

"Get out of the fuckin' car!" she yelled when they stared too long. The four hurried out of the car, Leon bolting over to her. She hugged him again, being comfortable now that weren't in public. She was thankful that Roman thought to buy her a pair of black track pants and a tank top while he was out. Answering the door in his shirt would've been a fucked start to this family reunion.

"I still can't believe you're alive, girl. I knew it couldn't have been true. You're too pretty to die," Leon gushed with a smile.

"You goin' soft on me Chester Tate?" Letty smirked. Leon hated being called by his first name, and Letty knew it.

"He's even driving a pink car," Vince's voice said, but he was hidden behind Leon's frame.

Letty tensed at the sound of his rough and husky voice. She hadn't even thought that Vince was alive, let alone in Brazil with the others.

"Vincent?" Letty whispered, pushing Leon out of her way.

The tall Italian stood with his arms wide, a his bearded-face in a wide grin, "Honey, I'm home."

Letty ran to him and jumped with Vince easily catching her.

"I thought you were dead," she mumbled into the crook of his neck so only he could hear the relief in her voice.

"I thought you were gone too, chica."

Letty inhaled his scent and knew it wasn't a dream; the thin but hairy beast that stood in front of her was Vince.

_Vince. _

Vince was Letty's protector. Anytime she left the fort, he was behind her to make sure he could back up her big mouth. Usually she didn't need him, but sometimes picked fights just so Vince could react. He taught her how to fight when she was twelve, and she loved his twisted brutality. V was also the guy to jump Dom's shit every time he flirted with a chaser, or acted like a chauvinist pig. Vince was her big brother.

"You lost weight," she stated, but not making an effort to return to a vertical stance.

Vince joked back, "And you gained it."

Luckily, Letty landed on her feet when Vince dropped her to run from her retaliation. Letty chased him down to the beach, surprised at how noticeably fast he was on his feet. Vince could _never_ outrun Letty before.

She jogged back to the house, where Mia and Brian were standing on the porch.

"When in the hell did he get so fast?" she gasped for breath.

"You two ever gonna grow up?" Mia asked back.

"Whenever I get this creature out of me. I'm so over this morning sickness bullshit," she replied, stepping in the house. "Come on in. Please ignore the decoration. This was owned by an eighty-three year-old lady before me."

"Damn Let, what happened to your sense of style?" Vince muttered, completely ignoring her previous statement. She rolled her eyes as they gathered in the kitchen, where Leon was already taking up residence in front of the food.

"Here," Mia emptied the plastic bag on the counter, "these are prenatal vitamins. You need to take them everyday with water or juice, which I bought you some of," Mia rushed through, stuffing groceries in the fridge. "I bought a lot of fruit and vegetables, you can never be too healthy."

"Guess Dom told you guys."

"How far along?" asked Mia.

"Little over five months," Letty shrugged as if it were nothing. "But this doesn't mean you treat me any different. Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I can't kick everyone of your asses."

"Yeah, just means we can't hit you back," Leon joked.

"Guess you're gonna make us wait until it's born to know the sex?" Mia asked with an eyebrow. She knew Letty loved keeping details to herself until she absolutely couldn't contain it anymore. Hell, if she could hide the sex until the child was eighteen she would.

"You know me so well," she smiled at her pseudo-sister. "Mia, sit down. Everyone," Letty said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Someone wanna tell me what's up with all the bruises? Leon, you're arm wasn't in a splint last night."

"My brother is an asshole," Mia whispered, her gaze dropping to the floor.

"After you guys left the restaurant, Dom went berserk. Body-slammed Leon through a table. Then decided to take his troubles out on the Buster," Vince explained.

Letty fumbled with her hair, a rueful expression on her face. She hated getting the Team involved in her and Dom's bullshit, but knew it was inevitable. They were a family.

"Why are you guys in Brazil? I thought your names were clear at home."

"They were … until we stopped a prison transfer bus and broke Dom out."

"YOU DID WHAT?" Letty shouted.

"We couldn't let him go to jail, Let. He helped the FBI and they didn't stick to the deal. He was facing-"

"I know what he was facing! Do you realize you just fucked up your lives forever? Breaking him from federal custody? That's insane!"

"What were we supposed to do? I already lost you and Jess, I couldn't lose him too," Mia sniffled as the tears came.

Letty sighed and combed her hands through her hair. She didn't want this type of stress. "So you're all on the run. Great."

"Letty when Dom finds out about Roman-" Brian interrupted with worries of his own. When they noticed Roman's absence in the home all night, they assumed that Letty and Rome hooked up and he spent the night there. "Where is Roman?"

Letty laughed while shaking her head. "Gone. What are you talking about? Nothing happened with Rome and I."

"Didn't he stay here last night?" Brian questioned.

"Yeah, but I didn't give it up on the first night, Buster. What kinda girl you think I am?"

_Roman yanked Letty back on his lap and attacked her lips again. Roman couldn't get enough of the taste of her lips, they tasted like oranges. He rolled her over so she was beneath him and placed soft kisses on her neck. Letty rubbed his bald head in ecstasy, she couldn't control how bad she wanted this right now._

_When Rome unsnapped her bra, her brain went into overload. A speedy flashback of every sexual encounter she had experienced went through her head; too bad for her they were all with Dom._

_Dom was her first and only, and the fact that she was even considering sharing herself with another man was ridiculous. She knew, unfortunately for her sex drive, that she could never make love to a man who wasn't Dom Toretto. Their bodies were made for each other. She had to stop Roman before things went too far._

_But the way Roman kissed and licked her body wanted to change her mind. She hadn't feel this intense of passion in months and she told herself no matter how much she craved it, she just couldn't do it. She wanted to save the passion for Dominic. No matter how pissed she was with him._

"_Ro," she said quietly as he traveled down to her panties. He looked up at her with gentle eyes._

"_What's wrong? Want me to stop?"_

_She nodded slowly, feeling like an asshole for doing this to him. Roman sighed but nodded, moving back up to Letty's face, noticing the tears in her eyes. He softly kissed her cheek and curled up next to her, making sure to keep his distance because of the current 'issue' in his pants._

"_I'm sorry I led you on. I know that wasn't cool ," she whispered as he spooned her._

"_I understand. Still got to have dinner with a pretty lady," she smiled at his reply._

"_You are a damn good man, Roman Pierce."_

"_I know it."_

"So you mean to tell me that you got Roman to spoon with you? That's hilarious," Brian chuckled, not knowing his old friend to be the cuddling type. Mia elbowed him in the shoulder and cut off his laughter.

"So who finally got the meathead to relax?" Letty asked as everyone began eating.

"Vince," they said in unison. Letty looked to Vince, he pretended he didn't hear the conversation. She could tell that Vince had changed a lot in the five years since their last meeting, and if he really wanted to hurt Dominic he could.

"He's fine. I gave him another black eye to match the one you gave him," Vince smirked up from his meal.

"Good. Jackass deserved it," Letty's thoughts went to Dom's date last night. "Who's the woman?"

The group stayed silent, afraid of answering. They knew Letty's temper and just because she was pregnant, didn't mean she wasn't the same volatile woman from before. She lifted a brow when no one spoke, knowing it would get someone to break.

"Giselle. She and Dom met in Mexico. She was apart of Braga's case," Brian answered.

Letty remembered Giselle and also remembered why she didn't like her. She was uptight, bitchy, and snobby; the kind of girl Letty beat up in high school. The two butted heads many times while working for Braga and had no idea why Dom went for her. She was the exact opposite of Letty, definitely not Dominic's type of girl. Letty instantly felt a sense of intimidation inside. Was she not girly enough? Was Dom tired of her bad-girl attitude?

Were her dreams true? Had Dom traded her for a more feminine housewife?

"Mia kicked her ass a couple days ago," Vince smiled.

"No shit," Letty was surprised. Mia was the last person to involve violence into anything unless she believed it was absolutely necessary. "What gives Mi?"

"I couldn't stand her pushing up on Dom when it's clear he's not interested. She just looked pathetic."

"But Dom still took her to dinner..."

Mia looked away, unable to answer for her brother. She didn't know why Dom was being an idiot, but she wished he'd figure his shit out. She was tired of handling his dirty work.

"Anyways," Leon could see the direction this was going and he didn't like it. He came over to catch up with Letty, not upset her. "Where you workin'? How'd you get this place? What are you driving? Gimme answers lady!"

Letty laughed, "I work at _Florentino's Garage_, a little ways down the island. Heard you guys bought his other shop. Got this place and a car in a business deal. You remember that right, Buster?" Letty grinned at Brian's now purple eye. He scowled and turned back to his food. "Anyway, I'm driving a metallic purple Lexus. This place belonged to my former business associates mother."

"It looks like crap," Leon admitted, receiving a slap to the back of the head from Vince.

"I know," Letty rolled her eyes. "That's why I was hoping Mia could help me redecorate?" Mia looked up with hopeful eyes and a smile. "Well, will ya?"

"Hell yes. First, we have to get rid of that god-awful shag rug. Then we'll-" Mia walked off, rambling of the dire changes that would be made to the home.

"So where did Rome say he was going?" Brian, being the respectful guy he was, gathered the dishes and began cleaning them in the sink.

"Off to work. Which is where you guys should be … oh shit."

"MIA!" Vince barked as everyone raced to the Subaru.

"What guys?"

"Roman is going to the garage," she shrugged, as if it weren't that important. "With Dom."

Mia froze in place. "Dom said he would kill Roman."

"Well get in the fucking car Mia, jeez!" Letty yelled from the passenger seat.

The five packed into the car and sped down the gravel road towards the shop. They needed to stop Dom before he ripped Roman to shreds.


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for the reviews! Sorry for the wait, I've been in a funk lately. Hope this one doesn't disappoint. **

**Chapter 14-The Mural**

Dom was wiping down the machinery and enjoying a beer when he heard a car pull up outside. When he saw it was a BMW, he bit his tongue and walked back inside. He promised Jesse while doing the graffiti Jetta that he would work on his temper with the others and right now was the ultimate test.

But Roman had spent the night with _his_ woman; how the hell was he supposed to react?

Rome walked in with Daisy behind him, intending on ignoring Dom the entire day and getting to work. The two grabbed a drink and walked to the locker room to change.

"Hey," Dom spoke up from behind them. "Shirts came in today."

Dom tossed red shirts to them with the garage name on the left and their name on the breast pocket. It was an effort to win their respect and loyalty.

"Thanks bro," Daisy smiled, pulling on her work shirt.

Dom smiled and nodded, tipping his drink to them.

Twenty minutes later, and the three workers were four beers in, each. They hadn't realized that while they were working on more of the mural, they were actually bonding and laughing at stories Dom told. Memories of times he and Jesse shared together, either on the blacktop or in the garage.

"_I don't understand, how the hell are we gonna get millions of dollars out of a couple of DVD players and stereos," Jesse shrugged next to Dom, the two watching as Vince and Leon helped unload the first truck._

"_Jesse, we're gonna sell it. Give Tran his cut and the rest is ours," Dom explained to him for the umpteenth time._

"_But come on Dom. They're DVD players! I can get one for fifty bucks."_

_Dom ran his hand down his face in frustration. Jesse knew how to push buttons. That was his specialty._

"_We already cut deals with a few businesses around here. Sell them to the retailers so they don't have to go through the hassle of paperwork with companies."_

"_So it's like we're good Samaritans, then," Jesse chimed with a grin._

"_Yeah kid, something like that," Dom smirked and patted him on the back._

"Sounds like a good-hearted kid," Roman stated as he wiped a sheen of sweat from his face. They had now turned the car into all-things Jesse, including beanies, women, and a graffiti character lovingly depicting the 'Mad Scientist'.

"He was really something. Kid could spot talent and a poser from miles away..."

"_What do you think about this guy? He's driving a pretty nice Mustang," Dom whispered as he and Jesse watched the competition during one of the races._

"_Yeah, but it's obvious he doesn't know what to do with it. You saw the way he way he jumped the gun on that last race. He's too anxious. He can't control the power of that car. Easy win."_

_Dom smiled and nodded, looking for another potential win. "What about that guy, in the old Impala?"_

"_Now this guy you might have to worry about. He's quick on the clutch, almost timing his shifts perfectly. He's knows how to push his car, but seems to be a little quick on the draw. He almost always hits his nitrous too early, leaving him open for a quick pass."_

"I wish I could've met this kid. I bet he was a genius," Daisy commented as the three put down their cans. The finished project was incredible, full of vibrant colors and long overdue. Dom needed this to make him feel at peace with Jesse.

"Jesse had brains on anything that involved cars. But when it came to life, he was just as clueless as the rest of us. Sometimes more..."

"_So how the hell does she do that?" Jesse questioned Dom after he chased off the new stranger at the store, Brian Earl Spilner._

"_Do what, Jesse?" Dom answered without looking up from the books. He went back to paperwork and the Team went back to holding up the walls to the cafe, never helping out when they were present._

"_Get you to jump like that. I've only seen you jump to her and Mia. Mia I understand, but Letty. I mean, she's just your girlfriend," Jesse shrugged from his post near the cubicle._

_Dom dropped his pen and looked at Jesse, who looked truly stumped at the idea of a man like Dom being wrapped around Letty's finger. Dom smiled and stood, walking to his friend. They both stared at Letty, who was slap-boxing with Vince to release some of his anger._

"_Jesse, Letty is not the type of woman who you ignore. She isn't like the other girls around this place, you give her the respect she deserves, she doesn't need to work for it. She's powerful and a damn good fighter; you think I'd be dumb enough to go against anything she said?"_

_Jesse chuckled and shook his head, "I just don't get it. I mean Letty's great, but I dunno if she'd be a girl after my heart. I like them more … clueless."_

_Dom laughed heartily and patted his shoulder. "That's why you're single Jesse. You can't appreciate the beauty of a soul like hers. You'd rather them be air-headed and easy."_

_Jesse laughed and shrugged. "You're right about that. You two deserve each other. Two maniacal lovebirds."_

Dom lifted his hand to point to the mural when loud shuffling of feet entered the garage.

"Dom don't do it!" Brian's voice screamed as the team rushed in.

"Don't do what Brian?" he asked curiously as the Team piled into the room.

"Don't kill the boy. He didn't touch me, unfortunately," Dom dropped his bottle in shock at the voice. He pushed through the crowd of family to get to her.

"I wasn't gonna touch him," he murmured once he stood in front of the brunette. "You look good."

"Thanks," she gave in, although she didn't want too. "Let's talk, Dominic."

"Wow," he heard on the way. He looked over to see the gang standing in front of the mural. "Did you do this?" Leon asked with watery eyes.

"Got some help," he said with a smile for Roman and Daisy. "Felt like we could use the Jetta in here. Make it more homey," Dom shrugged, continuing to his office.

Once they were both inside, he shut the door and closed the blinds.

"You guys are big time now, huh? Nice fancy garage, fancy equipment," Letty mused as she walked around the spacious office. "Who'd you have to fuck to get in this good?" her harsh words stung, but the anger in her eyes hurt him more.

"Letty, come on. You know I'm not like that."

"Do I, Dom? Because last I checked, Giselle worked for rich-ass Braga. And now you're shacked up with her. What does that look like to you?"

"I'm not shacked up with anyone, Let."

"Then what the hell is she doing here Dominic?" Letty glared at Dom with intensity that made his insides crawl.

Dom looked away, unable to answer. Trust was, he didn't know what Giselle was doing in Brazil. She was there when he arrived, so he hadn't bothered questioning it.

"Exactly Dominic. She might have snaked her way into your mind a bit, hmm? Make you forget all about the poor little Latina girl who rode your coat-tail to Mexico and failed," Letty had tears now, uncaring of her raging emotions. She needed him to know what she was feeling.

"I thought I lost you forever," Dom said, his hands on her shoulders. She hesitantly shrugged him off and kept pacing.

"So what happened after the Dominican? Where'd you go?"

Dom sighed. He didn't want to talk about this. He wanted to talk about them and their baby.

"Well I bounced around really. After I heard about you, I went back to LA. Rebuilt the Charger, went to Mexico, crashed the Charger again. God damn curse," he gave a small smile when she cracked. "Got a 25-to-life sentence, and now I'm here," Letty nodded, taking in the information. "What about you? Where in the hell have you been? Why didn't you go back to LA?"

"After the crash, I ran South. Since I knew so much about the runs, I didn't want anyone in the Braga gang coming after me or Mia. So I jumped countries. Stopped in Argentina and raced. Earned enough money for a ticket to Peru. Raced some more, but it just wasn't right. Brazil was it. Beautiful city, no FBI on me, pretty beaches. What's not to love?"

_No FBI on me..._

That was why he left her, to get the Feds off her trail. To give her a life of freedom, not uncertainty.

"I dunno what to do, Dom. I'm so happy to be here with you, but the feelings are mixed. How do I know you won't leave me and our baby girl?"

Dom's heart ached while hearing her voice. "We're having a girl?" he croaked.

Letty looked down and nodded. She had never expected her and Dom to end up this way. To her, they were the perfect example of Bonnie and Clyde; ruthless, dynamic, in love. They couldn't be whole without the other.

This wasn't how their story ended, she was sure of that.

"Dom, I can't risk you running out on us," she whispered, placing her palm to her belly. Dom watched in awe of how different he saw Letty now.

She wasn't the tough, defensive teen that he lusted after anymore; she was the vulnerable woman whom he needed. She was domesticated, now willing to risk her freedom for a chance at a family with him. She wasn't interested in the next thrill; she was ready to raise a child.

"Guess we got a lot of shit to talk about, huh?" Dom said, nervously scratching his head.

"That's an understatement."

Dom stood and went to her, crouching by her seat and moving it to face him. He laid his head in her lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. Letty laid her chest over his back and listened intently to his heartbeat.

She felt a jolt of energy through her body. She knew something was happening with her body that had to do with Dominic touching her again. She experienced the same feeling when he kissed her in the restaurant, every time Dom touched her skin. She knew it was their hearts syncing again, giving them the ability to love each other without anything phasing them.

The two sat in the embrace for what felt eternity when Leon burst in.

"Dom, we got problems," Leon announced, looking over his shoulder.

"What Leon?" Dom growled, unhappy that their moment was ruined.

"She's here."

* * *

"Hey big guy," Mia whispered as she approached Roman, who was currently trying to onfigure a lift. Rome looked at her with a sad smile. "How you holdin' up?"

"As good as I could be. I mean, I really liked Fabi – Letty or whatever her name is," he pouted, kicking a nearby box. "Just wished I hadn't been so stupid. Look at me, acting like the white boy. Everything's about a fucking damsel in distress."

Mia scoffed a little at his comment.

"Sorry."

"Guess I'll take that. You know there isn't any way you could've known about them. You fell for her charm. Everyone does. She has that affect on anyone around her. Much like Dom."

"Guess I shot the gun a little, huh?"

"Don't take it personal, Roman. Those two have been together since they were teens. They were made for each other."

"Yeah," he trailed off.

Mia gave Rome a kiss on the cheek and walked back to her station, where Brian and Julius were loading the garage sign on to a crane. Leon, being the only one with experience in construction as a side job, would operate the crane to hoist it above the bay doors. After a few attempts, he was able to swing it into place, now only needing to be bolted down. Brian climbed on to the ledge and bolted the sign down.

"Oh come on Buster. Don't jump," Vince snickered as he noticed Brian on the ledge. "Oh well Mia. He sat down while he peed anyways."

Mia thumped his chest with a smile.

"How's it look guys?" Brian yelled down.

"Awesome," Leon smiled with pride at the sign. This was what Jess wanted; for his name to be in lights for doing what he loved.

The Team stood out and cheered at the sign to their new abode.

"Beers for everyone!" Julius, who finally decided to make an appearance, shouted and waved the group inside.

Suddenly, a car kicked up gravel and dust as it screeched to a halt in front of the shop.

"Where is Dominic?" Giselle yelled as she slammed her car door shut.

"Yo, I don't think today is a good day," Vince put his hands up to stop her, but was stunned when she slapped him hard in the face.

"Fuck you! Go get Dominic! He's gonna give me an explanation," she yelled, unbeknownst to the fire she was starting. Vince stepped in her face, his expression priceless now that he wanted to snap.

"V, come on bro," Brian got in between the two and pushed the man away. He wasn't exactly sure V wouldn't hit her back.

Leon ran inside to retrieve Dom. He didn't see this ending well, especially with an overly-hormonal Letty there.

"Dom, she's asking for you," Leon said when Dom protested leaving Letty's side.

"I don't care Leon. Get rid of her," Dom barked, now standing next to Letty's seat.

"Dom," Letty looked at him the way she did when he was being hard-headed. The look was always her way he getting to Dom, to looking deep to his core, to the good in him. It was like a mental kick in the ass.

The three marched out the office and garage to see the rest of the Team guarding the door of their sanctuary.

"What Giselle?" he sighed.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You can't just dump me like that. Do you know who I am?" she screamed in his face, ignoring Letty's presence.

"Look, I got work to do today. I don't need this shit."

Giselle laughed obnoxiously. "Work? You wouldn't have any of this without me!" Giselle stepped closed, placing her hands on Dom's chest. "I think you owe me."

Letty's mind reverted back to the LA races, where the skanks were all over him and she was beating them off with a steel bat. She stepped in between Dom and Giselle, guarding her territory with a pitbull-like ferocity. Out of habit, Dom put his hands on her waist, too claiming his trophy again.

The Team watched this small interaction and knew how extremely powerful and clear it was; Letty was Dom's, and Dom was off-limits.

"You touch him again, you'll be pulling back a bloody stub, _princess_," Letty smiled sarcastically, smacking Giselle's hand away. "Why can't you see he doesn't want a Barbie?"

"Ha! You think he wants you? He left you for a reason. He's tired of having a psychotic fuck as girl-"

Before Giselle could finish her rant, she was being punched hard in the jaw.

"Woo!" Leon cheered as Giselle hit the ground hard with a thud.

Giselle held her face and looked at Dom in shock. She expected him to gripe at Letty the way he did Mia when she hit her, but Dom stayed silent, smirking at her.

"Well aren't you gonna do something? You're just gonna let your stray mutt attack me like that?"

"Nope," Dom looked back to Daisy, who was bouncing on her heels with anxiousness. She reminded him a lot of Jesse in that moment. Daisy met Dom's gaze with pleading eyes, dying to get a piece of the action. Dom smiled and nodded to her, turning his attention to Giselle.

Before she knew it, the long-legged Cuban was on her like white on rice. Dom tossed his arm around Letty's shoulder and led her back into the building.

"Play referee," he mumbled to Vince as he passed.

When the couple made it back to the office, Letty looked at him in confusion.

"Why'd you sick Leon's girl on her? I could've handled it."

"I know, but that girl's got a lot of pent-up energy. Plus, it'll keep her off my back for a little while."


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry for the wait, but my laptop has been down for a couple of days.

PS- More so a filler.

**Chapter 15-Misery**

Four hours later, the gang was relaxed around the shop, a good mood lighting the whole work area. Dom decided that they would relax for the rest of the day and let tomorrow be the official opening day of the shop. They needed to bring in revenue as soon as possible.

Vince let Daisy pound on Giselle for only another thirty seconds before pulling her off and dragging her inside. Brian helped Giselle up and to her car, making sure to warn her about showing up again. Sure, she helped them get their business together, but nobody was going to let her rub it in their faces forever.

"Leon, when are you gonna settle down and stop sleepin' with everyone?" Mia slurred, having way too many drinks than what she could handle. "I mean you're a playboy, but come on. Looks aren't gonna get you everywhere."

Leon just shook his head from his post on a bench with Daisy. Sweet and gentle Mia turned into Embarass-Everyone-Around-Me-Mia when she had a few too many drinks.

"Mia, I haven't slept around in months," he reminded her.

"Well you better sleep with Daisy, before I do," Leon's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe his family. "And who the hell does that bitch Giselle think she is? She kept saying that we'd pay for this. Does she know who we are?" Mia was the only one drinking, and had no idea that she had become the source of their entertainment for the evening. Dom didn't stop her. Instead, he sat cuddled in a corner with Letty in his arms. He wasn't caring about anything happening around him, only the fact that Letty was allowing him to touch her.

"And look at you two," she staggered over to Dom and Letty on wobbly legs. "My brotha _fiiinally_ got his woman back. I hope you name the baby after me," she smiled but it instantly turned into tears. She began sobbing uncontrollably and speaking at the same time. "I'm so 'appy for you 'uys," she said behind hiccups. Letty rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh at her friend. She had seen Mia in this predicament many times when they were teenagers and a few times at after-race parties. Mia never could hold her liquor and always made for an amusing side-kick.

"Alright sweetheart, time to go home," Brian smiled as he wrapped his arms around Mia and walked her away. "We'll be at home."

"That girl hasn't changed a bit," Letty spoke with a chuckle.

"What about you?"

Letty looked up at Vince with curious eyes. She didn't like the way his voice sounded.

"Still the same ol' Let," she shrugged. "What about you? You still the same hungry Coyote?"

"I've changed. Not because I wanted to."

"Good change, or bad?"

Vince shrugged, "I guess we'll find out. You plan on staying around or you gonna sneak off in the night too?" Letty quirked a brow at him, curious as to what he was insinuating.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she stood on her feet, walking to him.

Dom sighed, knowing where this was headed. Vince and Letty were like brother and sister, and the quarrels between the two were plentiful.

"Well you made it out alive, and you still ran. You didn't come back home."

Letty stepped in front of him and squinted her eyes. "I didn't want to bring trouble home. For anybody."

"So you did this for our safety, right? Just like Dom?"

"Vince, come on man. Don't start," Dom warned, already sick of Vince's attitude.

He knew Vince had serious abandonment issues and could only blame his family. He lost his baby sister only a few months after she was born to SIDS, his father left his mother for another woman after twenty-two years of marriage, and his mother committed suicide in front of him when V was just eleven years old. Now at thirty-one, it still ate him up that people refused to stay in his life. Dom and the Team were the only family he had, and he was holding on to them by a string.

"No Dom, it's alright. I owe this to him," Letty said with pain in her voice. She had promised Vince that she would always be there, never leaving him the way his parents had. She promised that she would be the sister he always wanted but was robbed of. He held her to that promise. "Vince, I had no idea about you. After the heists, Dom and I left."

"Yeah, you and Dom. It's always about Letty and Dom, right? Nobody gives a fuck about the rest of us who helped put this fuckin' team together. It's never about Leon or Vince. It was never about Jesse. Just you two."

"V, c'mon brotha. You can't believe that. Everything I've ever done was for this family. I ran to Brazil to keep everyone away from Mia. I had no idea that you were even alive Vince."

"Neither of you came back to see, either. No phone calls, no letters in prison. I waited by that cell-gate every morning, waiting for a letter from one of you. Just to know you were thinking about ol' Coyote. Either of you have any idea what the hell I went through in there?" Vince's eyes were on hers, but Letty could tell he was miles away.

His usual mysterious light-brown eyes were empty and pained. Tears teetered on his bottom lid as his lower lip quivered slightly. Letty hated to see any man cry, especially a tough one like Vince. There were very few things that had the effect on him.

"What happened V? What'd they do to you?"

"_Fresh Meat, get up," the guard smacked his baton against the bars of his cell. Vince staggered awake on his fourth day, still not use to the irregular schedule of the days, and also not being able to leave when he wanted._

"_Stop callin' me that," Vince groaned as he stood, stepping into his slippers._

"_Hey dickwad, I call you whatever I want," the guard replied shoving Vince against the rough bars of the door. "Shower time, pretty boy."_

_Vince grunted and followed the rest of the inmates to the small shower area. This was the part he despised the most; showering around a bunch of pissed-off murderers. It made him uneasy, but he hurried to his area in the very back and undressed. He turned on the spray and tried to enjoy the hot water that soothed his aching muscles. The metal excuse-of-a-bed made his whole body sore, but it was better than sleeping on the floor, which he hadn't completely counted out yet._

_Vince tried to ignore his inmates whispering loudly over the water about him. He knew what they were saying, the same things they said every day. Taunts to test his mental strength. He had no idea they were about to test his physical strengths as well._

_Before he could react, four of the inmates jumped on Vince, his slippery feet unable to keep him up. He tried to fight back as hard as he could, but he was no match for four men. When he was able to get space, he grabbed one of the men by the neck and slammed his face into the concrete wall, splattering his blood on the surface. The other three men, though, overpowered him._

"_Somebody help me! Guards!" Vince peeked over his shoulder to see the guard's back to him, conveniently talking to another employee of the prison._

_The men proceeded to then physically and sexually assault the twenty-six year-old street racer. Vince never stopped fighting, no matter how hard they hit him or how tired his arms were. Having a bum are didn't help his defense, though._

"_Dom!" Vince screamed several times for his brother before blanking out._

"I screamed your name Dom. I needed your help. I was naive enough to think you would be able to somehow break into the jail and get those guys off me."

Tears poured from Vince and Letty's faces. Dom looked away as he tried to get the image out of his mind. He heard the echoes of Vince's yells from when he was trapped on that semi. The way he screamed for Dom to help him would never be forgotten to him.

Vince blinked away the tears and stood up straight.

"He makes a habit out of being gone when I need someone the most," Vince looked back to Letty, whose cheeks and nose were red from crying. "You gonna make it a habit too?"

Letty walked to Vince, placing her hands on his scruffy face.

"I'm so sorry V. You know that if I could've, I would've been there for you. I can't say the same for him," she looked over her shoulder at Dom, who was grasping his head in his hand. "I'll always be around. At least until after your niece is born. After that, we'll see," she turned to face Dom. "Unless Dom pisses me off. So it's a waiting game."

* * *

"Mia, baby, you okay?" Brian tried to wake Mia once they arrived back at the mansion.

"I'm fine," Mia sobered up a little, holding her pounding head. "Why did you let me drink?"

"You were having a good time," he smiled a little. "I talked to Daisy, she's gonna let me use her laptop."

Mia looked at him, waiting on a response.

"I'm gonna run Giselle's file. I did already but I wasn't really looking too close. I had to have missed something."

"Brian, you have to stop thinking like a cop. You threw that away a month ago."

"It's all I've ever known, Mia."

"Well it's gonna get you killed one day."

Once in the mansion, Brian put his drunk girlfriend to bed and put himself to work.

"Arlight, Giselle Käya. Who in the hell are you?"

Brian searched her name through several databases to see if he could figure out where she from and if she had any family.

"Giselle Wilmarie Käya. Born in Israel, enrolled in middle school in Mexico at age fifteen."

From school records, Giselle was a good kid. Nothing popped out at him right away, until...

"Holy shit," was all he could say as he read through the internet article. He stared at the page written in Spanish, but he didn't need a translator to identify the man in the picture with Giselle.

"Lucy, I'm home," the gang's loud ruckus snapped Brian out of the article. He yelled for Daisy and waited for the Cuban to appear in the lounge. She was accompanied by Brian and Leon. "Read this to me."

Daisy leaned over his shoulder and deciphered the article dated nine years earlier.

"Says: Alleged drug-lord Carter Verone ties the knot. The lovebirds met in Mexico and instantly fell in love, an insider says. His bride, a bartender named Giselle, is said to be the heiress to his empire if he faces arrest, but both parties have vehemently denied the claim."

"Giselle is Verone's wife?" Roman's shaky voice spoke.

"Who is Carter Verone?" Leon questioned.

"Rome and I put her in jail a few years ago to get the FBI off my back."

"So you went and joined them?" Leon sniped.

"Shut up Le," Brian mumbled, running his hands over his face. "Verone got sentenced to forty years, but that guy has connections everywhere."

"You don't think he's out do you?" Rome asked nervously.

"I don't know. But I do know that his wife is _really_ pissed off at us."

**-x-**

"What a day, huh?" Dom exhaled as he shut off the lights to the garage.

After sending the rest of the Team home, he agreed to take Letty back to retrieve her car from Florentino's.

"I'm just glad everyone's back together," she replied, instantly regretting it. "Well, almost everyone."

"I dunno about you, but I felt Jesse there all day," Dom said with an infectious smile.

The former lovers sat in a comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the missed company of the other. Letty went to place her hand on the shifter, something she did anytime she rode shotgun with Dom, but was sickened by the absence of the object.

"When did you start driving old-men cars?" she teased.

"Since a certain little Latina stole my Chevy Nova," he replied with shocked eyes. "What gives?"

"Like I told Brian, it was business. I needed a ride and a place to stay, and I held up my end of the deal. And voila," she said, pointing to her metallic beauty near the garage building.

"Business with who? Who do you know in Brazil well enough to do business with?"

And just like that, Dom's protective-mode kicked in. Letty shook her head with a grin.

Letty cupped Dom's cheek, still in disbelief at their reconnection. She hadn't expected to the two to ever be separated. As far as she was concerned, they were put on Earth to complete each other.

"In two weeks, I have another check-up at the doctor. I expect you to be there," she demanded, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Dom could only smile as he watched her saunter to her car. Letty had never been the type to ask for anything, and he didn't expect that to change. Two weeks was a long time to be away from here, but he would anticipate every second until he could feel her lips again.

He always did.


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry things are going so slow with the story. I know where I want it to go, but I feel like it'd take forever to get there. I'm trying to think of some shortcuts without killing the momentum of the story.**

**Chapter 16-The Drinking Game**

"Well look what the cat dragged in," Kameron smiled when Vince made his way into the bar that night. "I was starting to think I scared you away."

Vince's rare smile beamed again as he crawled in the stool at the bar. The business was booming and the atmosphere seemed relaxed with several couples dancing to the old jukebox in the corner.

"Sorry about bailing the other night. Family issues."

"It's okay, although I did sleep a lot better with a caveman on my couch," she smiled sweetly.

"Hey, if the owner wants, I'll pay for the damage done yesterday," Vince offered, feeling bad about the trouble he started the night before.

"No sweat. I talked to him and we agreed that you can pay me back by helping close up tonight," she grinned and walked away, tending to her other patrons.

He watched Kameron work and couldn't help but notice her natural beauty. He curly locks looked soft and Vince wished he could tangle his fingers through it. Her body was fit and full in all the right places and he wondered what she looked like naked. He tried to shake off the craving when she walked over to him again.

"What are you smiling at, Wolf Boy?" she teased, leaning on the counter, placing her chin on her palm. Vince didn't respond, but stared in her chestnut brown eyes. They were innocent and hypnotizing, but he could sense some pain in them.

"Just wondering why a girl like you would want to work in a bar."

"Well that's a mighty long story. But we can stick around and have a couple drinks. I should probably get to know the man I let hibernate on my sofa."

A few hours and cold beers later, Vince was busy placing chairs on tables while Kameron swept up the bar.

"Hey buddy, I have a game," Kam's soft voice said.

"Aren't we a little old for games?"

"Speak for yourself, grandpa. I'm only twenty-six years old."

Vince chuckled. He liked her spunk.

"On with the game, smartass."

"Okay," Kameron grabbed a bottle of Whiskey and pulled out a chair. "I'll try to guess something about you. If I'm right, you drink. If I'm wrong, I'll drink."

Vince smiled but nodded, taking a seat across from her.

"Easy enough."

"Okay. So from your tan, I'll guess that you're a Cali boy?"

Shocked, he nodded and tossed back the drink.

"Los Angeles, born and raised," he said. "From that accent, I'll guess that you're from somewhere in the US, maybe the South?"

Kameron nodded and guzzled her shot without a cringe. Vince wasn't sure why, but he found this extremely sexy.

"Georgia. Born there and lived there 'til I was about eighteen, then kinda bounced around."

"You met a guy, fell in love, and he left you stranded."

Kameron's jaw clenched for a second, and when she didn't drink, Vince readied himself for another.

"Wasn't your turn, but I'll give you that one," she said bitterly, slamming her glass on the table. "I was young and dumb. Fell for this good-looking rich boy and he talked me into moving here, saying that it was the perfect place for new beginnings; not to mention his parents had a pretty nice estate here. Two months later, he runs back to his wife in Florida and I'm stuck here without a dime."

"You haven't been back home?" Vince asked in disbelief.

"At first, I was too ashamed. My mother had told me that he was manipulating and that he would ditch me the first chance he had. I didn't want to hear 'I told you so'," Vince felt bad for the young woman. He couldn't understand how a man could hurt such a beautiful person. "Been back to visit my parents a few times with the intentions of staying, but always came back. I fell in love with this place. How could you not?" she shrugged. "Back to the game. I'm gonna guess Vince isn't here on vacation either."

Vince gave a closed-mouth smile and took his shot.

"Running from a woman?"

V shook his head, finally able to escape the burning dark liquid.

"No woman."

"Hm," Kam hummed and tipped her drink back again. She was incredibly enticed by Vince and found the mystery man very attractive. She didn't know him from a can of paint but she wasn't opposed to getting to know him.

"You have no racing abilities," Vince stated with a raised brow. He knew she had some type of knowledge, but he wanted to push the envelope.

Kameron sipped her drink, but didn't down it all.

"I've been here for almost eight years. I know about the underground scene. Met a couple people and got a couple pointers, but I'm no racer. What about you?"

Vince hesitated, curious as to how much to share. "I'm pretty good."

"You're a shitty liar," she laughed when he flipped back his shot glass.

"Ethnicity … I'll guess that you're Dominican?" Vince could see similarities between her and Letty, who was also Dominican.

"Very good," she was impressed. "What about you? Gotta little Hispanic in ya?"

"Irish-Cuban," he said with a shrug. He hated everything about his past.

"Interesting combo," Kameron nodded with a wink. She didn't care about his ethnicity, Vince was hot.

A half-hour later, Vince was buzzed (being the heavily-experienced drinker) and Kameron was quite tipsy. Vince came to know that Kameron was an only child to a veterinarian mother and an NAVY Seal father. Her parents were back in the States, enjoying their retirement. The two shared multiple laughs through the night, mostly at Vince's expense, but he didn't mind. He liked the chill environment; for that moment Vince wasn't concerned with evading the police or pleasing Dom, he just wanted to keep Kameron smiling because it made his stomach do flips.

Vince had only loved one woman in his whole life, and she never gave him the love he wanted back. Mia was close enough to be a sister, but he looked at her as more. He beat the face in of any dude so much as thinking about her, and she still didn't bat an eye at him. Being shot down for years wore on his heart and he hadn't trusted another woman since; just "fucked 'em and ducked 'em", as he would say.

But Kameron made him … _happy_. Genuinely happy, and he was starting to like it.

Vince stared at her, and could see vulnerability in her eyes. She was opening up to him, who was virtually a stranger.

"So what about your family, Vincent Ramone Ronaldo? Where are your parents?"

Vince shrugged, taking a guzzle of the Whiskey straight from the bottle.

"Oh come on, V. You have to know where your family is. Where's your Dad? I bet he's handsome like you. Or your madre, man I bet she just spoils the hell out of you. Or-"

"I don't have any fucking family," Vince snapped, immediately regretting it.

"V, I-"

"No, I'm sorry. I don't have any family, Kam. Only sibling as well. Baby sister, Mailyn, died suddenly a few months after she was born. Dad was a truck-driver who couldn't keep it in his pants. Ran off with another woman when I was eight. Mom decided she couldn't handle not having my father, so she offed herself in my bedroom when I was eleven."

Kameron sat with her mouth open, unsure of what to say. She really put her foot in it, jumping the gun about his family. Her eyes watered; Vince spoke with such anger and pain that it hurt her.

"I'm so sorry, V. I didn't know. I drink too much and end up putting my foot in my mouth. I'm sorry."

V shrugged slightly and tried to think of something to change the subject.

"You trust too easily."

She could tell her wanted to dodge the topic, so she shook her head no and pointed to his glass.

"It's not trust that gets you somewhere with me. It's honesty. You have been honest, right?"

"Absolutely."

"Then you have my trust. For now," she tipped back the last of the whiskey and pushed her seat under the table. "Come on big boy. You're driving home."

* * *

"We were starting to think you forgot about us," Maria smiled as she opened the door for Letty.

"Sorry Maria. A lot has been going on," Letty apologized, looking away. She felt like a child again, getting scolded for hanging with "that Toretto boy" too much.

"Come on, hon. I'll fix you a tea and we can catch up," Maria stepped aside and Letty entered.

Letty sat at the dinner table and watched Maria move around the room without effort. She reminded her a lot of Grace, Dom and Mia's mother. Grace was a young, sophisticated woman who loved her racer husband and loved taking care of others even more. She worked as Tony Toretto's manager, handling his races, public appearances, and money. Letty could remember her always saying "a good racer has skills; a great racer has a woman taking care of everything except wiping his ass".

Letty figured herself the woman behind Dom's greatness, no matter what anyone said.

"Where have ya been? We've been worried about you," Maria said.

"I had a couple days off from work so I visited some old friends."

Maria nodded with smiling eyes.

"So Paco tells me of this guy, Dominic..."

Letty blushed. She felt like she was that twelve year-old again, declaring her love for Dom to his mother. "Dom is my baby's father. We were together for about nine years before I showed up here. He and the rest of our little rambunctious family are living a few miles from here."

"Wow," Maria said. "That's exciting. I guess that means you'll be leaving us."

Letty could sense the sadness in Maria's voice. Surely, she couldn't expect Letty to live with the Guzman's and their three children AND her baby. Though she did like the idea of a house full with people again. Sure, they treated Letty like family, but as selfish as it was, they weren't the family that she wanted.

"I found a little place for me and the baby," then the waterworks started. "Maria, don't cry. I'll bring her by all the time."

Maria wiped her eyes with a nod, "I'm sorry. You remind me so much of my niece. Just don't wanna see you go. This city might seem all glitter and gold, but it's dangerous out here."

Letty turned away, missing the glimmer of fear that filled Maria's eyes. She didn't want to believe that her new safe haven Rio could be infested with danger.

"I promise I'll take it easy until the little one is here."

Maria gave a curt nod and placed her hands on Letty's.

"Don't let that Dominic hurt you again, honey. Paco's been trying to find a reason to use his new shotgun."

Letty laughed and enjoyed Maria's company for the remainder of the night. It would be hard to leave Paco and Maria after they had become her pseudo-family for months, but it had to be done.

* * *

"There she is!" Gustavo smiled when Letty strolled into the garage the next morning. "Did Mama enjoy her days off?"

Letty looked at him, confused. "How did you know?"

"Oh c'mon chica," Gustavo tossed his arm around her shoulder, "I was married for 35 good years, with a daughter and a lot of sisters. I know women better than the average man."

"So Paco told you?"

"Poor guy can't hold water," Letty heart warmed at Gustavo's hearty laugh. He reminded her so much of Mr. Toretto, it was scary. Gustavo sighed, running his hands over his worn face. Letty knew what was coming, she just hated that it was happening now. "Letty, I can't let you work here while you're pregnant. It's too dangerous."

Letty nodded hesitantly. She knew it wouldn't be healthy or safe to work in the potentially-dangerous garage as her child continued to grow. She just hated being away from garages and hard work. Letty wasn't the type of woman to sit around with her girlfriends and do nothing – she wasn't a housewife. She was a mechanic, a damn good one at that.

"Now I started your health and safety assessment," Letty sighed and rolled her eyes. "It's the law, chica. You need to talk with your doctor, but as of now, you are on leave indefinitely."

"Come the fuck on, Gustavo! I can't afford to not work! How am I gonna buy shit for the baby? I'm not prepared for this!" Letty flipped, uncaring of who was around or heard.

"Calm down," Gustavo hushed, pulling Letty into his private office. "Now I know this is hard, but I can't have you working here while you're pregnant. You can't lift anything, all these fumes – no way. You're going on leave, and after you give birth and everything is settled, you're more than welcome to come back."

Letty flopped down in the seat, palming her increasingly-bulging belly. She didn't have a clue what to do. She could go back to working in diners, but she wasn't exactly a people person.

"I could always use someone to do-"

"Don't say paperwork."

Gustavo shut his mouth.

"I'll be back in a few months," Letty said bitterly as she stood and hurried out of the garage. She didn't want to do what she was about to, but she knew no other way to make quick money.

Racing through the streets, Letty tried to ignore the blue Barracuda trailing behind her. She drove quickly to the rougher part of town, kicking up dust as she slammed on the breaks outside of the warehouse. She shoved open her door and marched into the building, knowing Thiago was tailing her.

"Whoa, what a pleasant surprise," Damon Reyes smiled as Letty barged into the room, where he and his buddies were playing pool.

"Sorry Damon, she's fast as hell," Letty smiled inwardly at Thiago's words, but didn't take her eyes off Damon.

"That's okay, brother," Damon walked to Letty with a wide smile. "What can I help you with Chica?"

"Seems that I can't work in a garage in my predicament. Go figure. I need a way to make some cash – fast."

"I already gave you a car, a house, and now a job? What do I look like, your boyfriend?" he asked sarcastically.

"Look, can you hook me up or not?" Letty said, not in the mood for small talk.

"Ay Damon, you could pass that pretty little thing around for us. I'd pay a lot of money for that snatch," one of his friends commented, causing the rest of them to laugh.

"Oye, Dick. Se trata de una dama. Usted habla así de nuevo, y voy a cortar la lengua!" he yelled in fevered Spanish.

Letty gave a coy smile as she translated in her head. "_Hey, Dick. This is a lady. You talk like that again, and I'll cut your tongue out."_

The men silenced as Damon turned back to her with a smile. "Sorry, no manners. With the way these assholes are acting, I'm gonna need new friends. So what do you do?"

"I drive."

The guys snickered, appalled by the idea of a female driver. One look from Damon and they were silent again.

"You guys got something to say?" Letty asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I just don't understand who told you you could drive. Women don't drive, that's a man's game."

"You mean little ass boys?"

"Hey hey," Damon stepped in between Letty and his lead man, Roscoe. Roscoe was a chauvinist hothead but he was a legit racer. Damon looked in Letty's eyes and could tell she wasn't bullshitting – she was for real. "So she's fast huh?"

"Damn fast, man," Thiago reiterated.

"Follow me to my office. Let's talk."


	17. Chapter 17

**Rained all day so I figured I'd sit and write another. Enjoy and please review!**

**Chapter 17-Gettin' Dirty**

"Opening day!"

Mia shouted throughout the house that morning, as cheery as ever. She was more excited than anyone for the official opening of the new garage, Jesse's. The community will be welcomed to the garage for tune-ups, paint jobs, and other mechanical work. The Team will finally have some regular income and wouldn't have to rely on anyone else for help.

"I hate that my arm's stuck in this damn thing, today of all days," Leon groaned as he stumbled into the kitchen shirtless, his free hand rubbing his sore arm. He wanted to get dirty, considering it had been a while since he worked on an engine.

"Well you can blame Dom for that. Don't worry, though. I had Dom stop at the store last night and got you some painkillers."

Leon smiled and popped a few, downing it with orange juice.

"Mia, how the hell do you drink like that, and not have a hangover?" Dom grovelled as he entered the garage. He had seen this many times; Mia could get shit-faced drunk and wake up the next morning like nothing happened.

"Yeah girl, you were wasted yesterday," Daisy interjected as she and the rest of the brood entered the kitchen.

Mia shrugged as if she had idea. "For some reason, the alcohol gods love me."

"Hey, where's V? He's not in his room," Brian noticed.

"Cars not outside," Dom noticed from the kitchen window. "Eh, I don't have a clue. Maybe he's already at the garage."

"Dom, V doesn't wake up before seven if he doesn't have too."

"Then maybe he's still asleep somewhere, Mia. The hell if I know," Dom shrugged, pouring a cup of coffee.

"Hey Dom, can we speak with you for a second?" Brian said, pointing to him and Roman.

"Can it wait? It's a little early."

"Not really," said Roman.

The three men took their coffees to the balcony that overlooked the sunny beach. _It was truly a beautiful day for a new start,_ Dom thought to himself.

"After I left LA, I went to Miami. Did some racing, ended up getting busted. The FBI tried to pin a shit-load of charges on me for the shit that went down in LA, unless I did one last job for them."

Dom nodded silently and sipped his drink. "Continue."

"I picked up Rome to help me. We had to go in UC and bring down this hot-shot import-export dealer, Carter Verone to get our records cleared."

"I think I see where you're going with this," Dom said, unenthusiastic.

"No you don't," Roman muttered. "He's married to Giselle."

Dom nearly dropped his coffee by the shocking detail. "Go on."

"They were married nine years ago and from what I can see, still are legally bound. He was jailed in Argentina for forty years, but he's got connections out the ass. He could be out as we speak."

"And now that we pissed off wifey, he probably ain't too happy with us," Dom said with a sigh. He was taking this surprisingly well and he couldn't pinpoint why. Maybe it was the grand opening of the garage, or maybe seeing Letty again. He wasn't normally a morning person, but today was a new day.

"I don't see the funny part in this Dom," Roman shook his head.

"Man, I ain't worried about no wanna-be thug and his call-girl. I got enough issues. He wants to roll up on us, and he's in for a rude awakening. I've got nothing to lose."

Brian was shocked by Dom's words, but didn't question him. If Dom thought there was nothing to worry about, then Brian wouldn't sweat it. That didn't mean he wouldn't try to track down Carter Verone to keep an eye on him.

Dom led the two men back into the house. "Alright gang, saddle up. Let's go get dirty."

**-X-**

Vince's body rose from the sofa like a zombie at the smell of food. He missed the days where he could wake up on his own and have food waiting for him. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and remembered that he wasn't home, but at Kameron's place.

Vince made his way to the kitchen, but was halted in the hallway at the sight in front of him – Kameron standing in front of the stove in a tank top and well-fitting panties. Vince swallowed to catch the drool and cleared his throat.

"Don't expect me to change how I cook breakfast just because you're here," she sniped without malice. "Eat. You have a big opening today."

He looked at her with curious eyes as he sat at the table. She placed fresh eggs and queijo bread in front of him, along with a glass of OJ.

"You were blabbering about some opening you had to go to in the morning. Work?" Vince nodded and dug in, rolling his eyes at the delicious taste.

"So what do you do, you know, in the day time when you're not working?" Vince asked curiously. He had only saw her during her night-shifts at the bar.

"Well I work out feverishly until about four, then I lay on the beach 'til about six, sleep until work at ten."

"I want your schedule," Vince mused. "You know, you could come down to the garage today. You know, for the opening."

Kam blushed, happy that Vince was inviting her to something that was important to him.

"I don't know, I don't wanna get in the way."

"Nonsense," Vince waived, downing the last of his drink. "You can help me set up my station. And if you get bored, just take the car and go work out."

Kam thought on it for a second, but nodded in agreement. "Under one condition."

"Spill it."

"We shower first," Vince's eyes lit up. "Not together, pervert. You can go first while I clean up here. There should be a big enough t-shirt around here to fit you."

Vince finished his food and made the trek upstairs. Each step made him regret the drinking game he'd played the night before, but getting to know Kameron was worth it. He held his throbbing head as he finally made it to the bathroom and stripped down. He turned on the cold water and stepped in, hissing at the temperature of the water. He hated sober-showers after a night of drinking, but it was the only way he could get rid of his hangover, or make it easier to handle.

Kameron waited until she heard the shower going before she made her way upstairs. She gathered clothes from her shower and was lucky enough to find a white tank top that looked like it might fit her new friend. Making her way to the bathroom, she opened the door to sit the shirt in but was startled to find Vince standing outside of the shower.

Naked.

Dripping wet on _her_ floor.

"Hey, stand on the damn rug!" she griped, noticing he was getting the floor soaked.

Vince, completely appalled, shuffled his wet feet to the rug.

"Use a towel. There's an extra toothbrush in the cabinet," Kameron sat the shirt on the toilet and shut the door, melting on the other side of it. Vince's body was rock hard with solid pecs and abs to die for. Not to mention Vince was hung like a fucking horse. Kameron tried to regain her composure as the image of Vince dripping wet in her bathroom replayed in her mind. She thought about the long scar that wrapped around his arm and wondered why she never noticed it before.

The door swung open and Vince's arms caught her just in time. Kameron looked up at him, admiring his deep, dark eyes. Vince gave a warm smile before helping her back to her feet.

"Did you get your peek, perv?" he teased as he tried to dry his wet hair. Kameron rolled eyes, all the while trying to keep them off his low-hung jeans.

"Actually, yes. So to make it even," Kameron pulled her tank top over her head and tossed it in Vince's face, disappearing into the bathroom before he could get a good look at anything.

"Cheater!" he yelled into the door with a smile.

* * *

Letty sat in her Lexus outside of the warehouse, holding a rubberband with $500 in it. She reached a deal with Damon, agreeing to be his lead racer in a series of street races. She would race three times each weekend for a month, bringing in five-hundred bucks each win. All in all, she would bring in six grand for her troubles – enough to get her house ready for her new arrival.

Sure, Letty could have taken the easy way out and went to the Team. She could've went crawling back to Dom, proving that she couldn't do this without him.

She didn't want that. She wanted Dom to be in their child's life, but Letty refused to let on that she needed him or anyone for anything. She had always been independent, especially when it came to money. She worked just as hard as the others to get what she wanted. Asking or begging wasn't acceptable to her.

Sighing, Letty pulled off the curb and made her way to the Team's garage. It was opening day and she couldn't miss it.

* * *

"Whoa guys! Everyone relax, we're gonna open the doors in a few minutes!" Brian yelled, waiting for Daisy to translate to the large group of locals and cars that were parked outside the building.

None of the Team expected the turnout to be this big, but they couldn't hide their excitement. Dom checked his watch for the fourth time in that past ten minutes. He was waiting patiently for Vince, he couldn't do this without his right-hand man. He secretly hoped Letty would show up, but knew she had to work at the sister garage.

That was another thing wearing on Dom's mind; Letty. He wanted her to move in with him and the Team while she was pregnant so he could look after her better. He knew she had a place of her own, but she belonged with him, with the team. He wanted her home, on bed rest until the baby was born, but Dom knew there was no way in hell he could get that. Didn't mean he wouldn't try, though.

Screeching tires behind him caught his attention – Vince.

"V, where the hell have you-" Dom stopped when he saw the pretty girl exit the passenger side of the car. "I see."

"Dom, this is my friend, Kameron," Vince smiled, tossing his arm around her shoulder. Dom hadn't seen such bliss on Vince's face in a long time, and he wasn't about to spoil it.

"Nice to meet you. Welcome to Jesse's," Dom said with a grin, shaking her hand. "Now you two get in there with the rest of them. We need to make sure everything is ready."

Dom checked his watch again. The shop was supposed to open ten minutes ago. He sighed in defeat, realizing that she wasn't going to show.

"Alright boys, open 'em up," he motioned to Rome and Brian, who pulled the chains that opened the metal doors. Mia waved in three cars to start them off while Daisy and Leon tried to get control of the large crowd.

"Look at you, Big Time," Dom's cheeky grin returned as he turned around, Letty filling his sights once more. He scooped her up in a huge bear hug, to which she gave a cordial laugh. "All right, big guy. Get in there, you got some work to do."

Letty watched his perfectly round ass as he sauntered into the garage. She always did love his behind.

**-X-**

"Chester Leon Tate, what the hell did you do?" Letty barked twenty minutes later when the whole team was finally inside.

"Long story short, your baby daddy went incredible hulk on him after you left the restaurant," Daisy said, running her hands through Leon's hair. Letty smiled at the way Leon let her coddle him in front of the boys.

"Once the little Peabody is out, I'll kick his ass for you," Letty smiled sadly. She hated that Dom took his anger out on the Team because of their bullshit.

"Is Rome gonna stare you down all day?" Leon whispered, nodding to Roman, who was working on a car with Brian.

"I turned the guy down, he's heartbroken. He'll find a nice Brazilian girl to take his mind off it."

"Do you see the chick V came in here with? I had no idea he had taste," Leon teased when Mia walked by. She flipped him the bird and continued on. "Hey V?" Leon called from across the room. When V and Kam looked up, Leon made a sexual gesture involving his fingers. Vince turned beet red as Leon enjoyed a laugh at his expense.

"Hey Leon," Kameron called back. She flipped him the bird and made scissors with her fingers, chopping at her middle one.

"Ha-ha," Vince chuckled obnoxiously at the paleness in Leon's face.

* * *

"Package for O'Connor?" a man called out after a few hours of work.

Brian stepped with, confused as to who would be sending him packages in Brazil.

"No return address," he said allowed.

"Hey doofus, open that outside. Don't blow us all up," Vince sniped.

Brian, accompanied by Mia and Rome, walked outside into the afternoon air to open the package. Mia grasped his arm as he ripped open the box, surprised to find only a letter.

Opening it, Brian scanned his eyes over it, his heart tightening in his chest.

"Oh shit," Brian muttered as he felt the color draining for his face. "DOM!"


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry for the huge wait. My piece of crap HP fried and I lucked up on a new laptop.**

**P.S. Fast Five was definitely the better of the movies. Post-credit scene was my favorite :D **

**Chapter 18-The Rat**

Two weeks later, Brian found himself lying in bed, again reading the letter that was delivered to the shop. He, along with the others, was trying to figure out how to avoid a huge conflict with the sender…

"_Nice to see you and that big mouth friend of yours are doing so well. Wish I could say the same for myself, no thanks to you two. But don't worry about that, though. I'll be out soon to see you guys. We have to discuss how you're gonna repay me for that beautiful new garage you've built. And yes, you will be repaying me. I will not let you and Toretto take advantage of my beautiful wife's kindness._

_Don't bother trying to track this; I'll already be long gone._

_p.s. Tell Toretto he's gonna make one fine kid. Can't wait to meet her."_

Frustrated, Brian crumbled the paper and tossed it across the room. He hated the fact that because of his past, he had to drag Dom and the rest of the Team into his mess. Not only were they fugitives, they were now being haunted by an ex-con with too much money. They would have to manage steering clear of the Feds, Verone, and deal with a pregnant Letty; _could it get any worse?_

"Why are you still up, babe?" Mia asked as she stirred awake.

"Got a lot on my mind, Mia."

"You need to relax. Dom's gonna think of something to settle all of this. Come back to bed with me."

"I can't leave it all on Dom, Mia. Rome and I locked Verone up."

"But it was your job-"

"So now it's my problem," Brian huffed, slinging the blanket over his feet and climbing out of bed. He made his way down to the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out a beer. He stepped out on the balcony, enjoying the breeze than ocean brought in.

"This place is beautiful, isn't it?" Brian turned to find Dom leaning against the wall. Dom joined him at the railing as they looked off to the beach. The waves crashed against the surf, washing away a sandcastle built by Daisy and Kameron that morning. Dom related the waves to his life; just when things were stable and okay, a huge distraction tried to knock his family down again. He was exhausted with running; tired of never being able to settle down comfortably.

He was ready to bring his reign as the Number One Badass to an end. He was ready to get his family back.

"Brian, I can't run for much longer."

Brian's eyes shot over to Dom. He could see the weariness in his brown pools, but the sound of Dom's voice gave him chills. "I know it, bro. I'm tired too. We just gotta handle this situation with Verone and it'll all be over."

"How can you be so sure? It seems like we have enemies all over the fucking world."

"I could call in a favor to Bilkins? Have him make sure he doesn't make it out the country."

"No cops. We can't risk them flippin' again. We do this our way. I'll talk to some of the locals tomorrow."

The two men stood with their drinks, wondering how a simple deal with Johnny Tran almost six years ago could still be ruining their lives today. It was a snowball effect that was getting out of control, and needed to be stopped.

"You ready to be a daddy, Big Guy?" Brian asked with a smile, wanting to chance the topic before he ran out of ideas.

A cheeky grin spread across his face at the mention of his baby. He couldn't help but beam at the thought of being a dad. He never thought about it before Brazil, but now it was the only thing that crossed his mind.

"I'm gonna be just like my father was to me," he said. "Just like Dad was with Mia, that's how I'll be. He was always helping her, doing her hair and teaching her about womanhood the best he could. He was caring, but stern. He tried to keep her in books and away from boys, but she was so beautiful he knew it was a lost cause."

"Well if she's anything like you or Letty, you're gonna have your hands full, man," Brian chuckled.

"She's going to come out of the womb raising hell. I just hope I have my shit together by delivery time."

Brian caste his gaze to the ocean, unable to swallow the guilt he felt for their latest shitstorm.

"I hope you're right, O'Connor" Dom gave him a pat on the back before retreating inside.

* * *

_Alright, Leticia. One more after this and you're done. You'll have enough to get the place ready for your baby. Then you can lie around and do nothing for the next three months._

Letty gave herself a pep talk while she sat at the starting line of the third race She agreed to four and she would hang it up for a while. Of course, she didn't tell the Team about her new "job". They were offended if anyone raced alone, and Dom especially would freak to find out she was racing for another man.

Letty revved her engine and looked over at her competitors. She had raced two of them before, but didn't recognize the other two. They only identified themselves as Enrique, who had a mole Letty couldn't stop staring at, and Roberto who was handsome. Both driving American muscle, Letty knew they may be her only competitors.

She tried to ignore the stares they kept giving her as she focused on the count. On three, she flew off the line behind Enrique in a black '67 Mustang. The four cars traveled through a forest-like pathway, struggling on the rocky dirt road. Letty gasped when she felt her rear bumper being hit. It was Roberto ramming her car with his red Gran Torino. That was when Enrique slow his car abruptly, causing Letty to slam into it.

"You fucking bastard!" she growled as she managed to ease ahead and escape the shortcut pathway. She watched her rearview intensely as she tried to put some distance in between her car and the others. Just when she thought she was in the clear, the Torino slammed into her again. She didn't know their problem, but she wasn't about to risk her child's life for a quick five hundred bucks.

Letty swerved into the free lane and punched her gas, really giving her Lexus a workout for the first time. She knew she'd have to out-race the others if she wanted to get through this last mile of the race. She cut into a small alley-way just in time to avoid another collision. She sped down the narrow road in the favela, making sure not to injure herself or the late-night partyers of the city. Letty rushed out and hit a sharp right, pulling ahead of the other cars into a straight stretch. She shifted gears and punched it, hitting 120 mph. Letty smiled in triumph as her barreled across the finish line.

"She does it again!" Reyes smiled from his car, and then drove away. He spied in on her races, just to make sure no one was giving her grief.

Letty skid her car to a stop, unable to keep from smiling.

"Can't deny you that one," Diogo, the host of the races, smiled and slapped the money in her hand.

"Who are those two clowns? They bruised my baby up," she said, pointing to the Mustang and Torino.

"I dunno, chica. This is the first time I've seen them around here."

Letty smiled cockily at Roberto and flipped him the bird. He smile and mouthed "see you soon".

* * *

"You nervous?"

"Nope."

"You're lying."

"You're right."

"How come?"

"No clue."

Dom and Vince had a strange way of communicating with they were both thinking too much. They were so close that they didn't need many words to have a serious talk. They were on the balcony of the house, grilling out. It was Sunday; that meant no work and all play. Tomorrow was Letty's next doctor's appointment and Dom was shaken. He had never stopped to think about children; he didn't have time to slow down and start a family while trying to keep the other's alive and out of prison. He wondered what his baby girl would look like; would she have his eyes or her mother's attitude? His smiled beamed anytime he thought of a mini-Letty ruling the house.

"What are we gonna do about Verone? I don't like the way he's talking in that note. And how did he know Letty was pregnant? You said Giselle didn't even know that."

"He's probably got somebody watching us. Someone close to us."

Vince thought for a moment then rushed in the home.

"Where are you goin'?"

"God damn Julius!"

Dom followed Vince into the house and into the kitchen, where most of the Team was gathered, helping Mia with cooking for the barbecue.

"Where's Orange?" Vince demanded to the group.

"Out trying to repair the shed, why?" Daisy spoke, worried at the angered looks on their faces.

"How would Carter Verne know everything happening with us?"

"Maybe there's someone watching you guys. You don't exactly blend in or make friends everywhere you go."

"Daisy, don't be naïve! You and Leon are fucking buddies so-"

"Whoa! Watch your mouth. I'm not fucking anybody."

"Whatever," Vince wasn't in the mood for her mouth. "You're brother has a big mouth and I guarantee he's the rat!"

Dom and Vince marched to the front yard, accompanied by Daisy. Julius was cursing in fevered Spanish as he bolted the new shed door to its hinges.

Without a word, Vince grabbed Julius and swirled him around, slamming him against the building.

"Hey!" Daisy yelled, but was caught by Dom's arms.

"What's the problem?" Julius asked in shock.

"Who the fuck did you tell about us? How do you know Carter Verone?" Vince growled in his face.

"Chill out, vato-"

Vince slammed him harder against the shed, Julius' head bouncing off the wood. "Fucking talk."

"Okay!" Orange's face was pure fright. He didn't want to fuck with Vince; the man was a basket case. "Roberto and Enrique, I played cards with these clowns back in Florida a few years ago. Let's just say it wasn't one of my best games."

"So what? Who are they?" Dom growled.

"Roberto and Enrique are Carter Verone's henchmen," Brian spoke up.

"Two fucking assholes!" Roman yelled, pissed.

"Rome!" Dom silenced him. "What did you owe them?"

"A lot of money."

"How much, J?" Daisy spoke through shaky cords. "How fucking much Julius?"

"Seventy grand."

"How are you paying him back" Dom held his grip on Daisy tighter. He could tell she was hurt from her brother's stupidity.

"They found me here. Heard I was housing Brian and Rome and decided they wanted payback. They wanted to know everything about you guys. I had no choice," Julius was looking at Daisy, who was now crying hysterically.

"What are they planning?"

"I dunno man," he looked away sheepishly.

"Don't fuck with me, Orange. I will snap your neck in a second and not think twice about it!" Vince barked, tightening his grip on Julius's throat.

Orange hesitated, never taking his eyes off his baby sister. He never wanted to involved her in his gambling ways, and he tried his best to separate his hobby from his family. In the back of his mind, though, he knew one day it would cost him everything. That someday he would play someone who would catch on to him. He just wished he hadn't dragged eight other people into it.

"The deal was – if I get him Brian and Roman, he'd forget the money that I owed him and let me live. Once I told him who they were rolling with - the big bad, _wanted_ Dom Toretto – they wanted to up the ante. If he could get to the three of you, he'd cash-in on the million-dollar bounty on each of your heads and split it with me."

"Now there's money on our heads too? This is fucked up Brian!" Roman exclaimed as he marched into the house, the door slamming behind him.

"All I know is that they'll be here in a month. Verone mentioned taking something precious from you, someone special. They have people watching you, people watching your girlfriend."

Dom's senses went into overload. "Letty."

"We aren't gonna let that happen, Dom," Brian promised.

"Damn right. Because our little informant here is gonna tell his buddies that we left the country. Then he's gonna pack up and get the fuck out of Rio."

"What? I can't leave! All my business is here-"

"My family is in jeopardy because of your _business_! You are leaving!" the roar of Dom's voice sent the wildlife of the surrounding forest into frenzy.

"Daisy, help me!" Julius begged her.

"You dug your own grave, you selfish bastard. I better not ever see you in Rio again!" Daisy yanked out of Dom's arms and stormed inside.

"Get your shit together, you loser," Vince let him go but not without a swift elbow to the nose, breaking it easily.

"What the fuck are we going to do, Brian?" Roman barked, pacing back and forth in the kitchen.

"We are going to continue with this family barbecue, that's what," Dom said as he entered the house. "If someone else is watching us, we are gonna give them a show."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19-The Plan**

"Just got off the phone with Han, he's on his way to the airport now," Leon whispered to Dom as they stood near the grill only an hour later.

"Good. What about Tego and Rico?" Dom mouthed to Vince, who stood nursing a beer, one arm wrapped around Kameron's shoulders.

"Those two are driving down from Mexico right now."

"Tej is on his way, Dom," Brian informed, approaching the group. "Do you really think this is gonna work?"

"Kameron, you say this place is inconspicuous right?"

"Absolutely," she nodded. "I used to drive by it every day for the past three years. It's been abandoned for a while."

"Good. The boys and I will work on getting the warehouse. Let's just get to the table."

The group gathered around the improvised picnic tables, each waiting patiently to dive into the meal. Roman couldn't hold back much longer as he reached in for a rib. He placed it on his plate and crossed his hands together, surprising everyone. The group followed and listened as Roman thanked God for great food, family, and hopefully an easy way to get through their ordeal.

"Sorry I'm late," Letty's voice turned heads and she instantly picked up on the somber mood at the dinner. "What the hell's wrong with you guys?"

"Come sit down, Let," Dom said, pointing to the seat next to him. She walked slowly to the table, noticing how strangely quiet everyone was being. Roman didn't even look in her direction, which was surprising. This was_ not_ a quiet group. Something was up.

"You have to move in with us," Dom said simply.

"I just got a house. I'm not moving."

"Letty, you don't have a choice. There are people after us, after you. I want you closer so we can protect you."

"Dom, you know me; I don't need protection from anyone. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself," Letty replied.

"Letty, you are six months pregnant; you can't protect anybody. You need to listen to Dom on this one," Leon added with sincere eyes.

By the tone of his voice, Letty realized how serious the situation was. She had no clue was what going on with the Team, but she was about to find out.

"Who have you guys pissed off now?"

Daisy chuckled behind her beer, receiving a nudge from Mia.

Dom began to fill her in on everything that had happened in the past few weeks. She went through a range of emotions that started at curious and ended at pissed-off. She wanted to get a piece of Julius but knew he was already long gone. Instead, she combed her hands through her hair as her brain began to work.

"I just got a new place. I can't leave."

"Letty, don't be stupid. These guys aren't fucking around. If they want you, they'll get you. You need to smarten up," Brian snapped, tired of the soft-spoken way Dom was going at it. He knew the only way to get Letty's full attention was to be brash.

Shocked, Letty stared into Brian's bright blue eyes to see if his tough-guy attitude would waiver. When he didn't, she sighed and shook her head.

"Why don't you guys move in with me? The place is big enough," she suggested in an attempt to keep her new place. She knew she'd be able to fit them all in her place, she just wondered if she could convince them to leave their lavish mansion for her more subtle abode.

"That's not a bad idea Dom," Mia agreed. "It's out of the way."

"Yeah, dawg. It'd be no way they could find it. It's in the middle of the forest," Leon spoke up.

Dom scratched his chin, trying to analyze the pros and cons of living under Letty's roof. Everything would be by her rules, and with a pregnant Letty in charge, Dom knew he was in for a helluva life.

"Fine, but you gotta make room for Han, Tego and Rico too."

"No way," she shook her head, "those three perverts can keep this place."

"This Team sticks together. Take all of us or none of us."

Letty reached across the table and grabbed a bowl of mac and cheese, "I'm not running a whore house, Dom. The only thing on the minds of those three is tits and ass. They can stay here."

Dom knew that was the final say and let it go as the rest of the Team dug in to the food. He wouldn't push his luck after finally bringing his family back together again.

"So what have you guys got planned?" Letty whispered to him as conversations sparked up at the table.

"I'll tell ya later. I don't know what these guys can or cannot hear," Dom looked around with paranoia.

"How about you stop by the house tonight? You can start figuring the living conditions," Dom's eyes shot to her in surprise. She shrugged in reply.

"I'll follow you home after dinner."

"What's the deal with those two? All the craziness happening is surrounded by those two. They are like Bonnie and Clyde," Daisy whispered to Leon at the other end of the table. They watched the interaction between the two in awe of the adoration that radiated between them.

"They _are_ Bonnie and Clyde, Daise. Those two have been driving each other insane for years. Strange enough, they're perfect for each other. They are the two most loyal people I know."

"You know I appreciate you inviting me around your family," Kameron said across the table to Vince.

Vince shook his head, "Nonsense. You're good company to keep. I plan on keeping you awhile."

Kameron raised a brow, "Is that so?" she leaned across the table seductively. Vince grinned and nodded, grazing his lips with hers.

The group groaned at the sign of affection. Vince shrugged while Kameron playfully grabbed his face.

"You two are worse than Mia and O'Conner," said Roman with disgust.

* * *

"This place really looks like your style, Let," Dom said with no enthusiasm as he took a seat on her sofa. He enjoyed the beach-front view this room had and knew it was probably the only reason Letty was interested in the place.

"Shut up. It's a dump right now. But I ran into some cash, so it'll be better in no time."

"And how exactly did you do that? You got released from the garage weeks ago."

Letty rolled her eyes and flopped down next to him, handing him a beer.

"If I tell you, you gotta promise not to flip."

"If you have to say that first, then I don't even wanna know."

"Fine with me," she shrugged, standing to open the curtains. Her chest tightened at the sight of the dark clouds and lightning bolts across the sky. "Storm's coming in."

In an instant, Dom was at her side, wrapping his arms around her swollen belly. Dominic knew how bad Letty feared thunderstorms, a fear that stemmed from her Dominican Republic childhood.

"That's not getting you out of telling me about your new job," he chuckled.

Sighing, she knew she couldn't hide it. She'd have to tell him the truth.

"I work with this kid, Thiago. He got me in with this car dealer who gave me a good deal."

"What kind of good deal?" Dom asked skeptically.

"Steal back his Nova from Julius, and he'd give me a car of my choice and a nice place."

"Why couldn't he steal his own car? Letty, you're six months-"

"I dunno the details, Dom. But I did it and he came through. Then after Florentino released me, I went back to make some extra cash."

"Letty you should've come to your family. You know-"

"That's not all Dom," she stopped him. "To make that extra money, I raced."

Dom's hands dropped from her waist in shock. "You raced … for him? Did you forget our pact? We don't race for anyone but this team."

"Dom, we made that pact when we were nineteen years old. I only have to race one more time, and then I pocket six grand. I just needed enough to get prepared for the baby."

"Let, you know we would've helped you," Dom placed his hand on her chin, forcing her eyes to his.

"I know," she turned away. "I just … didn't want to have to rely on you guys for that. I need to be prepared to do this shit for myself, just in case."

Dom looked at her in shock, as if she had just cursed him up and down Rio.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh come off it Dom! You, along with Mia and Brian, are wanted for the biggest prisoner escape in years. They tricked you once, who's to say it won't happen again?" Loud thunder made her flinch, and scared. "What if you guys get picked up? What if I'm left alone, again, Dom? She and I can't take on this world on all alone."

"And you won't have too. Listen," Dom opened the sliding glass door and walked a shivering-Letty out into the storm. He stood behind her on the balcony, securing her of her safety. "The Team's gonna break up."

"WHAT?"

Dom covered her mouth with his paw to contain her yelling.

"You're going to upset her," he whispered, looking down at her pregnant stomach. She immediately relaxed. "We are going to break up, but not for real. Just a show for whoever's watching us. In a few days, we will all end up in a safe house, where we will start thinking up a plan to steal this money."

"Are you stupid?" Letty was irate, now.

"There's a man, his name is Hernan Reyes. He's some big shot businessman; pretty much owns all of Rio and everything in it. Kameron's told us a lot about him, and apparently he's got a lot of money lying around."

"How much money are we talking?"

"A hundred mill."

"You trust this Kameron? Vince sure seems to like her," Letty smiled. It was rare for Vince to take a liking to anyone, especially a woman for longer than an overnight stay.

"Vince has good judgment. Plus, she's a local so she could be useful."

"Why don't you show me how useful you are," she grinned and tugged him back inside and out of the rain.

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, he followed her inside. "Is that safe? I'm not gonna hurt her, am I?"

"Look, I crave sour cream and bananas every second of the day, I piss more than a newborn, and I have the sex drive of Ron Jeremy right now. Let's go," she demanded, pulling him to the bedroom.

* * *

"Your family's one of a kind," Kameron said while pushing open the door to her home.

"Yeah. Sorry Leon's such a pain. He and Jesse would give shit to a lot of the girls I brought home. I guess some of them weren't that bright."

"Some?" she quirked a brow. He gave her a one-shoulder-shrug. "Besides, Leon is a just like the boys I grew up around. I can handle him fine."

"Oh yeah? What about me?" Vince growled sexily into her ear. She turned to him with a smile and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I know for a fact I can handle you," she returned with a yelp as Vince lifted her up in the air. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the kitchen. "Didn't we just eat V? You still hungry, Cave Boy?"

"Hardy har," he sat her on the countertop and stood between her legs. "I could go for some of you, though."

Vince spent the next few hours giving himself to Kameron. Normally, a woman enjoyed Vince's talents for half an hour before she was shown the door. But to him, Kameron deserved more. She was special to him, unique, and he wasn't ready to give her up yet. He loved the way she seemed to crave him, how she clawed at his body for more. He gave her what she wished, thankful he was now physically-fit enough to keep up with her stamina.

"Wow, Caveboy's actually a man," she teased as she cuddled next to Vince on the kitchen floor, surrounded by and covered in chocolate syrup.

"Told ya you couldn't handle me," Vince whispered through strained breathing.

"Excuse me? I think I handled my own with you," Kameron said, tracing the line of hair from his chest to the top of his pelvis.

He smacked her hand away once he felt the blood rushing back to his member. "I'm not a machine, you know."

"Pussy," she muttered playfully and stood from the floor. "Can you at least join me for a shower?"

Vince didn't need to be asked twice. He stood and tossed her naked body over his shoulder and marched up the stairs. Standing under the stream, Vince took another tour of her perfect body with his mouth, licking and sucking every available piece of skin. He loved the way she reacted to his touch. It wasn't fake or over-the-top like many of the racer-chasers he'd been with. It was genuine and sexy. This time around, the two explored each other slowly, making love until the hot water became freezing. Vince washed the chocolate from both of their bodies, just for an opportunity to touch hers again.

A large shatter of glass downstairs halted both of their roaming hands.

"What was that?" Kameron asked with panic.

"Go get dressed and lock yourself in your room. Call Dom," Vince ordered as he yanked on his overnight sweats over his wet body.

"There's a couple handguns in the kitchen drawer near the fridge," Kameron kissed him quickly and did as she was told.

Vince nodded and walked down the stairs slowly. He crept down and peeked out the broken window to see a black Mustang parked several feet from the house. Two men were standing beside it … reloading AK-47s. Vince crouched and made his way quickly to the kitchen. He found the two .9mm handguns Kameron was speaking of and shoved the clips inside. He hid near the door and opened it, firing blindly outside. Instantly, shots were returned, bullets flying past his head and into the house.

"Son of a bitch!" Vince griped when a bullet grazed his arm. Now pissed, Vince stood in the doorway and fired off both guns. One of the men, who had a mole the size of Texas, retreated to the driver's seat while the other stood his ground. Vince stepped on the porch as the other man tried to unjam his weapon.

Vince fired one last shot that struck the gunman in the shoulder, dropping him to the ground. The Mustang sped off, leaving his friend in the dust.

V jogged down to the man and pointed his gun in his face.

"Please, don't!" the man begged. Vince cocked the chamber and pressed the barrel to his temple.

"V, don't!" Kameron's voice instantly cleared his mind of all wants to pull the trigger.

"It's your lucky day. She just saved your like," Vince growled, yanking him up by his injured shoulder. "You're not gonna die, yet. But you _are_ gonna talk."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20-Life vs. Team Toretto**

"Mr. Verone, I thought I asked you to stay out of my country," Hernan Reyes said as he poured them each a glass of liquor.

Carter cut the butt of his Cuban cigar and plucked it between his lips.

"I'm here on business, that's all," he defended.

"What kind of business do you have here that I don't know about?" Reyes handed him a glass of dark fluid and tipped his own back.

"_My_ business. Just trying to dish-out some back pay to a few former employees," Carter grinned. "How's Damon? Still trying to run the family business, eh?"

"My nephew is very bright, but his heart in too big. He's sensitive," Hernan said, snatching Carter's cigar out of his mouth. "I'm not. And no smoking in here."

Carter bit his tongue, he didn't want to piss off a man of such wealth and power like Hernan Reyes. The two have butt-heads before and it wasn't pretty.

"Mr. Reyes, all I need form you is a little breathing room."

"Let's just say I'm coming into a lot of money in the next few weeks."

"How much are we talking?" Now Hernan was interested. He didn't care that he was already a multi-millionaire; he could never have too much money.

"Millions."

"Let's talk a little more," Hernan grinned slyly.

* * *

"V, this better be good," Leon said as he and Daisy pulled up to Letty's house. Vince called for a Team meeting at Letty's and immediately drove over.

"Yeah, bro. We were just getting comfy," Brian griped as he opened his door for Mia.

"Vince, what's going on?" Dom's voice boomed as he tugged his white tank on. He was obviously annoyed by the interruption and wanted to get this over quick; Letty was in a position that he would love to keep her in if he could get rid of their guests.

Vince waved them over as he opened the back door to his Scion, revealing a tied-up and bleeding man lying in the backseat.

"Vince, what the fuck man?" Dom freaked as he stared at the frightened man.

"This is Roberto Del Toro, he's one of Carter's men."

"How the hell did he end up in your car? And why is he bleeding?" Mia exclaimed first. Then she noticed his wrapped-up arm. "What the hell happened, V?"

"He and Enrique decided to pay Kam and me a visit. He's got a flesh wound Mi, no vital organs hit."

"Get him out. We're gonna have a little discussion with Roberto," Dom ordered and retreated quickly back inside to inform Letty.

The group of family gathered in Letty's living room moments later, Vince forcing Roberto's bound body into a wooden chair. His face was heavily bruised and battered, showing that Vince made him pay for showing up at his doorstep.

"This campesino thinks he's gonna get anything out of me, he's crazy. None of you will. I'll die before I rat," Roberto said enraged with his kidnapper.

Letty pushed her way through the group to see one of the two assholes from last night, tied up in her living room.

"I told you I would see you soon, princess," he smiled and winked at her.

"You know him Let?" Dom questioned.

"He and his friend fucked up my new car last night. Tried to run me off the road in a race."

With that news, Dom launched a vicious left hook at Roberto's face, sending him reeling to the floor. Vice and Brian jumped in front of Dom quickly; they didn't want him to kill their informant before they got their information.

"Cool it Dom," Brian warned. "We need this guy as bait."

Dom clenched his teeth and swallowed some of his anger.

"What the fuck does Carter want with my family?" As if his deep baritone voice wasn't frightening enough, a vicious snarl was enough to put the fear of God in Roberto. Dom's clenched fist that was raised about Roberto's head was enough motivation to speak.

"Okay!" he flinched, "Carter's done his research on your family. He knows what you guys do and how well you do it. He wants you guys to do a huge job for him."

"What kind of job?"

"He wants every single penny of Hernan Reyes' fortune – and he wants you to steal it and transfer it."

The room grew silent, excluding Roman, who groaned and stomped out the front door. Brian pulled Dom to the side again. They were officially at a stand-still.

"How the hell are we gonna steal Reyes' money when Verone's after it too?" Brian asked.

Dom smiled at him, "Brian, this couldn't have come along any better. We could use this to our advantage. Follow my lead," Dom approached Roberto's chair. He pulled out a pocketknife and cut the ropes bounding him to the chair. Roberto reacted, lunging to sprint away but was caught by Dom's quick reflexes around the collar. "Hold up there, Speedy. I just want you to be a little more comfy in the trunk. We're gonna need to set up a meeting with your boss, so you'll be our bait. You a good actor, Roberto?" Dom asked with a grin.

* * *

Roberto stirred awake the following morning, a strong stench attacking his senses. He managed to open one of his eyes but it was no use, it was too dark in the room. He wanted to touch his sore eyes but realized he was again bound. He struggled to remember what happened in the past hours…

"_Let's figure out where to put him," Dom said as he shut the trunk of Roman's car, concealing Roberto's body._

"_We could go check out the warehouse?" Roman suggested. He didn't really like the thought of having a body in his trunk, in a foreign country at that._

"_Not a bad idea. Leon, talking to Daisy and Kameron, try to get some information about that warehouse. Vince, you and your lady stay at the house tonight. That way you have backup if they come back," Dom said solemnly. He was frustrated to involve another innocent person in their mess._

"_You're not coming with us?" Leon replied._

"_You guys can handle it without me," Dom replied, looking back at the house. Letty was standing in the hallway pulling off her t-shirt, "I gotta finish up here," he smirked._

_The guys dispersed with grunts, making their way out to the warehouse on the other side of town. When they arrived, the rain made the building even more ominous._

"_You guys stay here, we'll find a way in," Roman said as he and Brian got out the car._

_Finding a small entrance on the side, the two ignored the 'No Trespassing' sign and broke the lock to the door with a brick. Pulling open the door, the two entered the dark and spooky warehouse._

"_Here's a light," Roman flipped a switch, which barely lit up the room. "Looks like an old factory of some sort."_

"_Perfect place to fix a couple cars and test race them," Brian noted the huge space. They rummaged through the warehouse, looking for any clue as to who it belonged to, with no luck._

"_Go get the others. Let's get Vince's approval."_

_The others filed in, looking around their new home. Vince dropped Roberto's heavy body carelessly to the concrete floor, receiving a groan in response._

"_Dump," Daisy concluded._

"_Perfect place for a couple'a hoodlums to hang out," Vince said with a pat on Brian's back._

"_Any chance of police catching wind?" Vince voiced his only worry._

"_I spoke with a couple of locals from work. This used to be an old gun manufacturing building," Kameron said._

"_No shit, the gun powder smell kinda gave that away," Leon said snidely._

"_Anyways, they say it's been closed down for almost fifteen years. I think we can make it inconspicuous."_

"_Alright, we'll meet you outside," Vince said, excusing the others out of the building, leaving him, Roman and Brian standing around Roberto._

_Brian could tell by the bulging vein out his neck that Vince was ready to snap. Roberto threatened not only his life that night but Kam's too._

"_Vince, don't," Brian warned._

"_Just once…"_

"_Don't v. We need him."_

"_It won't be too bad. Just once," Vince was nearly salivating like a hungry coyote out for food._

"_Vince…" Before he could stop, Vince began wailing on Roberto's bound body._

"_Hey," Brian separated them, "at least make it fair. Rome … untie him._

* * *

"Letty," Dom whispered as he stood over the bed, examining her bare backside. She had perfect ass, if you asked him. "Baby, come on. You have an appointment to make."

Letty stirred with a smile. She couldn't explain the joy of waking up to Dom's voice. After the time they spent apart, he was right where he belonged now. She knew him enough to know what was coming next, and made no effort to move.

"Up we go," he mumbled as he scoped her up like a hundred times before. She giggled and held on for the ride to the shower. "I know you always fake asleep for that reason alone."

"It's nice to not have to walk. Especially with aching, swollen feet."

The two enjoyed a shower (and each other) then made their way to her doctor's visit. Letty kept her hand on Dom's knee the whole drive, as a way to relax his nerves. Today he would be seeing his baby for the first time, something he created. He would be extremely affected by the moment he laid eyes on his growing child. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he was growing impatient.

"Doc can you hurry with the ultrasound before he craps his pants," Letty said twenty minutes after being hurried, rushed and shoved through the hospital doors.

Her doctor, Dr. Roza, chuckled and began with the ultrasound. Letty held Dom's trembling hand and watched the small screen.

"I see a big hand there," the doctor pointed to the screen, which in turn raised Dom's heart rate. He smiled widely with joy while trying maintain his emotions. "Well Mr. Toretto, there is your little girl."

Dom eyes watered as he stared at the blob shaped slightly like a body. That was his blob though, that already weighed heavily on his heart.

He was in love.

"Look at the size of her head, D! Look what you did to me!" Letty yelled with a grin.

"So have you two though about names?" the doctor asked, gathering Letty's paperwork.

"Uh, not really. Haven't really had time to slow down," Letty said, cleaning the cold fluid off her belly.

"Well you have a healthy, precious little girl coming in about two months. You better start getting prepared. Children are the most sacred forms of life on this Earth; they're delicate and need stability in their environment. That means cutting down the illegal bullcrap and getting on the right track, Dominic. Those cops catch you two and you can kiss freedom goodbye, much less parenthood."

Dom stood shocked at the rant from the professional.

"Hey Dom, you think maybe he recognized you somewhere?" Letty said with sarcasm as she stood to get changed.

"You know we're not gonna get caught, right?" Dom tried to reason with her on their way home.

"You got caught once," she reminded him, again.

"They caught me because I let them. I didn't have a reason to keep going, I thought you were gone. It's not happening again," he said sternly.

"You better hope not. I'm done chasing your ass all over the world. You're staying in my eyesight from now on," she replied with a smile.

And with that smile, Dom knew their relationship would soon be back to normal.

Dom's happiness was washed away as he peeked into his rearview mirror. The blue van behind them had been following them since they left the doctor almost four miles back.

"Letty, I need you to trust me on what's about to happen," he said calmly as he put on his harness. Surprised by the foreign action, she buckled herself in too.

"What is it?" she asked with panic.

"Reach under your seat and grab the shotgun," Letty did as she was told with no hesitation, loading and cocking the weapon for him. "Now when I say go, grab ahold of the wheel."

Dom cut the wheel down a side street and waited for the van. When it came barreling around the corner, Dom gave the signal and grabbed the gun. Letty latched on to wheel with perfection, steering around the early morning traffic from the passenger seat. Dom leaned his torso out the window, tapping the break and firing at the tires of the car. As he suspected, the van returned fire immediately.

Dom avoided a shot to the head by a quick swerve from Letty as she dodged a running child. He tossed her the shotgun for reloading and took the wheel, pushing Letty's Lexus to the limits.

"Who have you been watching drive, O'Connor?" she teased as he shoved the gearshift into place.

He chuckled and kicked it into high gear, showing her that he hadn't lost his spark. He knew the thrill of the speed turned her on and a turned-on-Letty only meant good things for him. Letty swung the gun out the window, blasting wood from a food stand to pieces, releasing food barrels into the street. Trying to avoid the obstacles caused the van to careen into oncoming traffic, causing wreckage behind them.

"I always was a better shot than you," she said, shoving the shotgun back under the seat and relaxing in her seat.

Dom laughed to himself and made it back to the main roads, leaving behind the car chase and destruction. "Whatever. We gotta get to the mansion. The rest of the group should be arriving soon. We gotta start setting up."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21- The Setup**

"Look who's here," Vince smiled as Han walked through the warehouse doors. "We thought you didn't love us anymore, Pretty."

The cool, smooth chameleon of a man named Han flashed a dashing smile as he was embraced by Vince.

"You know I always got love for this crazy ass team," Han replied. Han grew up in southern California with the rest of the crew, becoming friends with them in middle school. He and Dom learned to race together, but after Dom's stint in Lompoc, Han split. He couldn't envision himself sticking around if one of them weren't there. Han was pulled in by the loyalty and dynamic these people showed, even as children. "Where are the King and Queen of this lovely bunch?"

At that moment, a car was heard pulling up the ramp, bright lights shining over the group of men. Dom smiled wide as he parked, happy to see Han, Tego, Rico, and Tej standing with the others. It was always good when the boys came through for him. He knew it was a reason he kept these particular people around him.

"Alright, what have you gotten yourself into?" Han said as Dom approached him.

"Some heavy shit, but it's gonna lead to a big payday," Dom said, giving Han a chance to weigh out his options.

"Two questions: how big and how much jail time are we facing if shit blows up in our faces like it usually does?"

"Life sentences for sure. But we're looking at a couple million, maybe more."

Han pondered for a moment then popped a chip into his mouth. "Well I guess that's worth flying across the country for. Just don't let me get killed."

Dom shook his hand with a stern nod, his way of a promise to Han. Dom had already promised himself that he wouldn't lose another man in battle.

"Listen team, we don't have time to dick around," Letty's strong voice killed the testosterone in the room. "I almost got ran off the road, shot at today … we need to get this money and get the fuck out of Rio."

The room was silent, with all eyes on her. Letty didn't squirm under their scope, though.

"Did she stutter?" Daisy seconded her. The boys jumped into gear, putting their brains together for a plan elaborate enough to get the job done and keep them out of caskets and handcuffs.

"Since when did Letty have a clone?" Han asked as he drooled over Daisy. She was spitfire and her beauty was undeniable; two things Han couldn't resist in a woman.

"Cool it, Smooth Operator, that's my woman," Leon spoke with authority.

"So was Lisa, Rachelle, Brooke, and etcetera. Somehow I ended up in bed with all of them too," Han joked, high-fiving Vince.

Daisy overheard this and wrapped her arms around Leon's waist, replacing his scowl with a smug grin. "Well unlike them, I have class. No offense, but I prefer my men … manly. You know, dirty fingernails, facial hair, that kinda thing," Han's face was beet red from embarrassment as Daisy cut him up with words. Daisy grabbed Leon's package happily, "I'm more of a baggy-pants lady, if you catch my drift."

Han's honey-colored skin was red; he had never been cut up by a woman this way before and he wasn't sure how to feel about it. He just stood there, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.

"Knock it off," Dom chuckled. "Let's get to work."

* * *

"I can't believe you, you idiot! How could you leave your own partner behind? You _never_ leave a man behind! " Verone barked at Enrique for the thousandth time in the past twenty-four hours.

"Do you think they'll kill him?" Enrique asked his enraged boss.

"No, O'Connor's an ex-cop, not a killer. But I can't say the same for his jailbird friends," Verone sighed with frustration. He had Hernan Reyes on board (unknowingly to rob himself blind) but now one of his good men was a hostage of his targets. To Reyes' knowledge, he and Carter were going to take over the rest of Brazil and start on Argentina, taking down anyone in their way in the process. And all the blame for carnage left behind would be on Dom Toretto and Brian O'Connor, considering they were already thought to be some of the best heist-men in history

"Let's not lose our heads" Reyes said. "I've sent some men out to handle Toretto while we regroup."

At that moment one of Reyes' men, Zizi, entered the room covered in blood and dirt. He bore a regretful expression, revealing another distraction foiled by the Toretto clan.

"Damnit!" Reyes barked, throwing his shot glass at the door near Zizi's head, shattering it off the wall. "Get me Toretto."

"That's impossible. Dominic Toretto has been wanted by the FBI for almost six years. He can outrun anyone in a car."

"I don't care! Rio is my city. I'm not gonna let some young street-racing punks tear it down right in front of me. Get me Toretto."

* * *

"You sure this is gonna work Dom?" Leon repeated the question that had been asked almost a dozen times already.

"Leon, relax," Dom sighed. "All of you calm down. This can go without a hitch if everyone gets their heads into it."

The Team was gathered at the shop, working while trying to maintain their nervous emotions. As expected, they were followed throughout town that day, and had several cars staking out the garage. Letty recognized one from the car chase from the day before, Zizi.

"Remember ladies; drive slow so they can catch up, and don't get out of the car. When you make it to the warehouse, call me. Go straight there and back," Dom ordered as Letty, Mia, Daisy, and Kameron all piled into the Lexus and made their way to the warehouse. Dom watched Zizi's car follow after the women, just as they planned. "Alright Han they're on the move. Do not let anything happen to them or it's your ass."

"Dom, have a little more faith in me. I am the smart one of the bunch," Han replied into his phone.

Dom gave a nervous laugh and got back to work. No matter the bullshit surrounding the Team, Dom knew he could always turn to cars to relieve stress. Something about having car grease under his nails that he couldn't get enough of. If all else fails, he would always have the beauty and design of a vehicle in desperate need of repair to get him through.

"So how was the baby doctor, Big Papa?" Vince grinned from across the room.

"Like fucking marriage counseling," Dom muttered to himself. "Nice healthy baby girl only two months away."

The boys cheered happily at the news.

"I can't wait to see how a baby is gonna fit in this mix," V said, grinning. "Never thought that'd happen."

"Guess this means you won't be the only one throwing up and whining all the time, huh V?" Leon cracked, ducking a bolt coming at his head.

"Something funny O'Connor?" Vince sniped when he noticed a strange man loitering outside the bay doors of the garage. He winked at Brian, hoping he'd catch on.

"Other than your driving skills, nah man," Brian swung low, wanting to make their quarrel as realistic as possible.

"You got a big ass mouth, you little blonde punk. And I'm about tired of it," Vince dropped his tools and stepped around from the car he was working on.

"Why don't you shut my mouth then, bro?" Brian retorted, stepping to the bigger man without fear.

"Why can't you two stop this shit? Five years, guys. Let it go," Dom said without looking up.

"I'm sick of this faggot running his mouth. I can't be on a Team with a no-talent-having bitch like him," Vince said with a wink to Brian. He didn't bore hatred for Brian anymore, but he was very convincing of otherwise. The stranger paused at the door, pretending to be interested in the team's work.

"Yeah Dom. It's either me or him," Brian and Vince stood nose-to-nose.

"Both of you can go. I'm not a babysitter. This isn't high school, this is a team. If you can't act like a team, there's the door," Dom yelled. Just as rehearsed, Vince stormed out of the garage, Brian shortly following behind him. "Kids," Dom said sarcastically to the stranger.

"I'm going back to L.A. I'm tired of hanging with a bunch of no-good losers!" Vince yelled from his car as he sped off, leaving a cloud of smoke behind.

Dom rolled his eyes at Vince's improvising and looked back at the stranger, "Is there something I can help you with, sir?"

The man shook his head quickly and hurried out the shop. Dom watched him jump in a car and peel off.

"Alright gang. Let's call and check on the girls."

**-x-**

"God I hope this doesn't bite us in the ass," Letty muttered while looking in her mirror. She wanted to make sure the car was still tailing them.

She drove to the warehouse, stopping in the alley nearby. The black sedan stopped a few yards away, perfect for the team's plan. Letty reached for the door handle, but was stopped by Mia.

"Dom said not to get out," Mia reminded her.

"Mia, it's a little suspicious if we just sit in the car," Letty replied. "Plus, it's hot as fuck out here. Come on. Just stay close."

The girls got out and proceeded into the building. Han hurried them to another room while Tego and Rico stood by the doors, awaiting the henchmen.

"You sure we should go in there? What if it's a setup?" one of the men said, skeptical of the ordeal.

"Doesn't matter, Bosses orders," Zizi said, shutting the car off. The two drew their weapons and followed in shortly after the girls down a long hallway to the showroom.

"Where y'all goin'?" Tego and Rico pointed their M16 guns at the invaders, stopping both men in their tracks. Han, Tej, Vince and Brian and appeared with more weapons and rope.

"Look guys, we have more visitors," Han said sarcastically, snatching the gun from Zizi and hitting him over the head with it, knocking him unconscious. His accomplice, terrified of what he just walked into, dropped his weapon and kicked it across the room, dropping to his knees in surrender.

"Got 'em, Boss," Han reported in his cell phone. "Sending our girls home now."

**-x-**

"Now what do we do?" Vince asked as they stood in front of their three hostages.

"We get them to talk," Dom replied. He yanked the gag from Zizi's mouth. "You seem smart. You know how this goes. You tell us what we need to know and nobody dies. Sound simple?"

"Fuck you!" he said, spitting at Dom's feet. Dom chuckled as he watched the saliva drip off his boot. He pulled back as far as he could and punched Zizi's partner, knocking him unconscious.

"Okay. Let's try it again. Where is Reyes' money?"

"Ha, you're crazy! You even think about touching that money, you're a dead man."

"Haven't you heard? A Toretto never dies. Where's the money?"

"Hey, you think you can hook me up with the tall brunette? What's her name … Mia Isabella Toretto?" the realization dawned on Dom; these men knew everything about his family.

Roman shooting Zizi in the shoulder brought Dom back to reality. The man groaned and fell over to the concrete floor. Dom shoved Rome to prevent witnessing a murder. Dom tried to ignore Zizi's laughs but it was hard. He decided a hard boot to the face would shut him up, and it did.

"Enough!" Roman growled, pointing at his 9mm in Zizi's bloody face. "Start talking or I aim a little higher."

Zizi stared down the barrel of the weapon, questions of loyalty and betrayal ran through his mind. After watching the Team over the past weeks, they came to know Roman as the impulsive, very abrasive one of the group. If anyone would pull the trigger, it'd be him … again.

"Alright!" Zizi yelled, releasing the painful tension in the room. "Reyes is in the process of getting some of his most prized possessions 'repossessed' by the DEA. Along that ship will be all of his money, secretly being carted off to the States. You two aren't even dumb enough to try to get anywhere near it."

"How much?"

"100 million."

"He's having his shit repossessed purposely. Ain't no way we can touch that Dom," Len said skeptically.

"We can and we will," Dom replied in complete confidence. "How are they being transported?"

"He's working on getting a train. Filled with innocent people and special agents. Good luck," he said, spitting blood on the ground.

"We won't need luck. We'll have you."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22-Filet Mignon**

Letty zipped up her boots, knowing her swollen feet were going to kick her ass later for it. They were her favorite boots; she considered the flame-tipped clunkers to even be lucky. _One more race_, she thought as she grabbed her handbag and her keys. Walking out to her car, she smiled at her passenger. He wasn't one for riding shotgun to a race, but this was her setup and he wasn't going to overshadow her glory. Instead, he would use it as stakeout.

"You sure you don't want to drive?"

"I'm sure," he said with an innocent smile as she started the vehicle.

The drive to the race was a quiet one, the sounds of late-night Rio filling the car. Spanish music filled the air as they drove closer to the underground event. Dominic kept his eyes open for his Team, who was blending in with their surroundings. They still wanted to keep the façade going that they were split, and so far it was working.

"Look who's back," Enrique's voice caught Letty's ear as she and Dom moved through the crowd. "See you brought a bodyguard this time."

"Keep running your mouth. Soon you'll end up just like your boyfriend. Or have you not heard?" Letty taunted with Dom standing behind her protectively.

Enrique's face was red with anger. He didn't appreciate being threatened, especially by a woman.

"Get in your car and lose your money. Who knows, maybe when I win I can get a piece of you too," he chuckled, rolling his window up.

Letty held Dom back when he lunged after the car. The last thing she needed was him in a foreign jailcell on murder charges.

"Just have the boys get to their places" she said and slid in her car. Dom leaned through the window and pecked her lips.

"Good luck."

"I don't need luck," she smirked, "I'm a Toretto."

Dom's heart acted with joy as the love of his life pulled up to the starting line. Dominic pulled his two-way radio from his pocket and spoke low for privacy, "Set up boys."

Letty lined up with the other three cars, one of them being Enrique's Mustang. Her heart raced, though she didn't feel as nervous as the previous times. She knew her boys had her back. Letty's eyes focused in on the red flag hanging from the skank's hand in front of her. As soon as it dropped, she forced her shifter down, flying off the line and into the darkness.

"Keep a close eye on her Leon," Dom said into the talkie. "Brian and I are gonna find Verone and Reyes."

"No problem, boss. We're gonna take care of her," Leon replied.

Dominic and Brian made their way through the crowd, keeping a clear eye out for the Cuban man. After searching for a few minutes, Brian finally spotted the short, tan man surrounded by a group of bodyguards. There was another well-dressed man in the back of a black SUV.

"Reyes?" Brian whispered with a nod.

"More than likely."

"Well, well, well. Mr. O'Connor, Mr. Toretto. We finally meet. Although I must say, I am a little disappointed," Carter said as they approached.

"Humor me," Dom replied, crossing his arms across his chest.

"You look so much bigger in your Most Wanted poster," Verone teased, taking a drag from his cigar.

When Dom didn't react, Carter was serious again. "No sense of humor, huh? Well that's alright because I'm a serious man myself. How can I help you boys?"

"We heard you're interested in doing business with us."

"Well you heard right. Come on, step into my office," he waved them closer to the SUV.

"No thanks," Brian refused to get in a car with those two. "If you wanna meet with us, it'll be on our terms, in a location of our choice."

"Shoot," Carter gave them the reigns.

"We will be in touch."

"No fun. I wanted to play tonight," Carter taunted.

"Trust me, you'll get your chance. Tell Reyes that he needs to keep more loyal men around. People talk way too much," Dom smiled, giving Reyes a nod.

Meanwhile, Letty was in a battle with a couple of over-confident madmen. Just as she thought, Enrique was proving to be her only real competition. The narrow street proved to be her enemy, giving her little room to maneuver around Enrique's car, along with dozen others parked on the local street. When they made it to a two-lane street, she was finally able to cut around the Mustang and pull ahead. She was jolted when the car rammed into the rear of hers.

"Again? What the fuck is your problem?" she yelled, angrily. She couldn't imagine how long it'd take to repair all the abuse her car had taken without Jesse's help.

Letty cut a tight right, hoping to create some space between her and the Mustang. He was right behind her as they sped downhill. Out of nowhere, Rico's black truck appeared, cutting off the Mustang and giving Letty some breathing room. Swerving to miss the truck, Enrique drove his classic beauty into a muddy ditch, wedging the tires in the ground. Surprised by the truck stopped in the middle of the race, a third racer couldn't avoid slamming into the passenger side of the Mustang, causing it to flip and roll down the embankment.

"Karma's a bitch!" Letty chuckled as she watched a fireball shoot into the sky. Smiling with relief, Letty felt like she could really put a stamp on this race without some idiot trying to kill her.

She hit the E-brake and skidded across the line sideways. She loved making a scene. Letty opened her car door with a fresh smile, genuinely happy to be able to hang it up for the next two months. She looked across the crowd and spotted Dom. When he caught her eye and gave her a smile, she couldn't express the feeling of supreme joy she felt.

Her happiness was short-lived when a short man stepped in her line of vision.

"Step off," she rejected him instantly. She wasn't in the mood for drunken men hitting on her.

"How about you come with?" she froze when she felt the cold steel of a gun against her stomach. She looked up nervously at Dom, hoping he'd get to her before anyone was hurt. "Now! Make a run for it, and you and your baby are dead."

She obliged and walked slowly and hesitantly with the man. He took her to small group of men, who were huddled secretively.

"Look who I found?" a short man lighting a cigar turned around, a beaming smile on his face.

"My, my. You sure are cute."

**-x-**

"Look," Brian pointed to Letty's Lexus gliding across the finish line.

"My queen," Dom smiled like a kid in a candy store. He tried to fight his way through the crowd when she got out of her car. He was taken aback when he noticed the same stranger from the shop approaching Letty from her left. He picked up his speed and walked as fast as possible through a sea of dancing bodies.

"O'Connor! Get to Letty!" Dom yelled. He struggled to reach her as he watched Letty disappear with the man.

"Where'd they go?" Brian asked when he and Dominic met in the center of the crowd, where the Lexus was abandoned and running. Dom took a deep breath and scanned the party carefully. He was finally able to zoom in on her as she was being forced into Hernan Reyes' car.

"Letty!' he screamed with panic as he chased after the departing car.

"Where's Letty, Dom?" Vince asked once he caught up to him.

"Where were you? You were supposed to be right behind her!" Dom yelled, shoving Vince away.

"I was! After that car rolled, I was too busy trying not to get impaled by the wreck. She high-tailed it out of there, bro. I couldn't catch her," Vince admitted, pushing Dom back just as hard.

Red and blue lights were filled the sky before they were heard. Dom jumped in the Lexus without another thought and sped after the truck. After some swift maneuvering and getting lost, Dom managed to outrun the cops. Looking in his rearview he was thankful his boys didn't leave his side this time.

Dominic followed the SUV through the city until it stopped abruptly in the middle of the intersection. This made Dom suspicious.

"What's happening?" Roman asked from his car next to Dom's.

"I dunno. Something's not right," Dom thought as he watched the truck closely.

After a few moments, the rear passenger door opened. Dom quickly grabbed his gun from under her seat and placed it in his lap. He wanted to be quick on the draw if he had to be.

Suddenly, a body was blatantly pushed out of the truck – Letty's body.

"No!" Dom cried out as he forced the door open and ran towards her, firing shots at the truck's windows. Dom kneeled next to her body, wincing at the amount of swelling and blood that covered her face. Letty coughed up blood, a sure sign that she wasn't just beat up; Letty was seriously hurt.

Dom couldn't fight the tears that burned at his eyes. He cradled her battered body against her chest and sobbed heavily.

"Dom," Brian whispered. He knew Dom was unstable right now. "We gotta get her to a hospital, Dom. She's losing a lot of blood."

Dom shook his head feverishly. He didn't want to let her go. He didn't trust anyone with her. He didn't want to open his eyes and assess her injuries. He knew they were bad. He could feel the blood seeping through his white tee. Brian slowly reached for her neck, careful not to stir Dom further. It was like reaching for a pitbull's meal during chow time. Brian felt for a pulse and his senses perked up – Letty didn't have a lot of time.

"Dom, she's got a low pulse. You got about fifteen minutes to get her to a hospital or she's dead."

Those familiar words snapped Dom out of his trance.

"You guys get the girls home. Keep guard until I call you. Brian and I will go to the hospital," Dom said, lifting Letty's limp body and carrying her to the car. He placed her gently in the backseat and gave Brian the keys. "You better drive like your fucking life depends on it."

Brian took the keys and slid in, "It does." Brian gunned it through the town, using street signs and very little knowledge of the area to make it to the nearest emergency room. Dom sat quietly in the back, squeezing Letty's unresponsive hands for hope. He ran his fingers down her swollen eyes, wondering how anyone could be to so callous and uncaring of a pregnant woman. He vowed to exact revenge on Carter, Reyes, and everyone associated with them.

Dom was ready for war.

* * *

"You know she's gonna be all right, right?" Daisy asked a visibly-hurt Leon.

"She's such a good girl, ya know? She doesn't deserve that shit," Leon sniffled into her shirt.

After Rome, Vince and Leon arrived home, they let the girls in on what happened to their friend. The ladies immediately grew hysterical, especially Mia. They had just got Letty back into their lives and now she was fighting for her own.

"I know, Leon. Listen, why don't we take a dip to get your mind off it until we hear something?" Leon nodded and followed Daisy out back. As the night-time waves crashed against the shore, Leon couldn't help but think of Letty. She was like a sister to him, a best friend. All he could do was hope that she and his niece would make it through the ordeal. "What are you waiting for?" Daisy asked from a few feet out.

Leon watched her from the land, and for a split-second he could've swore it was Letty frolicking around in a bright orange bikini. It would be hard not to worry about her tonight.

"Will this help?" she screamed, untying her top from behind. She let the tiny garment fall into the water underneath her.

This got Leon's attention. Contrary to everyone's beliefs, Leon and Daisy hadn't been intimate in their two-month long relationship. He wasn't sure why and he honestly didn't care. Daisy was someone he enjoyed spending quality time with and he wasn't ready to jeopardize that by rushing into sex. It was hard for him not too – especially with the way she grabbed his crotch the day before – but he thought she was worth it.

But this – this was the first time he had seen her bare body and it made him feel like a horny high-school kid all over again. Leon quickly unbuckled his pants and let them drop to the sand. He tried to prevent further injury of his healing elbow, so he kept it wrapped tightly. He ran out to the water and scooped Daisy up with his good arm, loving the feel of her bare skin against his.

"You ever wonder why we haven't … you know," Leon asked a while later, as the two were lying next to each other on the sand. She looked over at him, her light hazel eyes filled with confusion.

Daisy looked over into his green eyes and wondered where his question came from. She thought hard before she spoke. "I have no idea, Le. Usually men are all over me. It's nice not being treated like a piece of cheap meat for once."

Leon smiled, happy that he was finally able to control his hormones for a woman.

"You're at least a nice piece of filet mignon," he grinned, his heart warming by her laugh. The two couldn't deny the electricity between them. It was stronger than they had ever experienced.

Just as Leon leaned in to taste the beauty's lips, he heard his name being called from behind.

"What?" he barked angrily. He wanted to think that tonight, here on the sand, he would get lucky.

"It's Letty! Hurry!" Vince yelled from the house.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author'****s Note: I know my story may be a little confusing in comparison to the movie, but I started this before Fast Five was released, so bear with me please. :D  
**

**Chapter 23-Lucky Charm**

"You gonna be all right?" Kameron asked Vince as they sped through the streets on their way to Letty.

Vince didn't reply, only shrugged. Emotionally, he was completely torn. Physically, he was ready to pound into Verone for days. He just couldn't believe all of this was happening. Vince was definitely ready to be out of the spotlight and back to his semi-normal life.

"After all this is over Kam, we're leaving town. For good," he looked over with sad eyes. "Hell, there's a chance I won't make it..."

"Don't finish that sentence," she warned. "Vince, I knew you were bad news from the moment you sat down in my bar. I knew getting involved with you would be trouble. Hell it might even be the reason I fell for you. I don't care, though. I know under all that trouble and anger, you are a really good man who cares about his family more than anything. And frankly, that's all I need to know."

Vince replayed her words in his mind, surprised that she was willing to put her life and ultimately her freedom in jeopardy to stick with him. It wasn't often that he was referred to as the 'good guy'. If she can see it in him, then maybe she would fit in with them just fine.

The Team filled the hospital parking lot and filed into the lobby, where Brian was sitting and Dom was pacing nervously back and forth.

"You really wearing that floor out Dom," Vince said to an obviously-upset Dominic. "How she doin'?"

Dom's eyes shifted to the sky. He wasn't very religious but he knew God always came through in a clutch for him. He could only hope He would answer his silent prayer now.

"Not sure. Doc's took her into emergency surgery as soon as we got here. Haven't heard much since," Dom replied.

"Oh Dommie," Mia's voice made Dom's throat tighten. Her tear-stricken face was enough to reduce the tough guy down to tears. Dom pulled Mia into an embrace and the two shed tears for their injured comrade.

"Family of Letty Ortiz?" the doctor's voice stopped the crying and chatter. The doctor looked at the packed group of diverse people. He hadn't ever seen such a mixture of people here for one person. The sadness in all of their eyes, especially with the biggest one sobbing made his job even harder. "You are _all_ her family?"

"Yes sir, we're all family. That woman in there is the mother of my child. How is she?"

"First things first? Are any of you immediate family? We need to perform a blood transfusion immediately because of the large amount of blood loss and it's much easier if it comes from a blood relative."

"No, but we're the only family she has. Is she okay, Doc?" Leon asked, wanting the doctor to get to the point.

"It appears that Mr. Ortiz has suffered several small lacerations to the abdomen. Thankfully, due to the small size of the blade it didn't hit any vital organs or injure the baby at all. But we really need to do this procedure," the doctor flipped open his manila envelope and continued, "Now would any of you happen to have a blood type of B positive?"

One hand raised in the group, which turned everyone's heads.

"I am," Daisy spoke up. "Let's go save our girl."

Daisy kissed Leon and pushed her way through the crowd. Dom grabbed her arm before she was out of reach.

"Thank you. So much."

"I'm not just some groupie, Dom. I have a heart. I care about Leon, and all of you. With the way he talks about her, there's no way in hell I'm gonna let her die and take over the job babysitting you guys. Plus, I like how she bosses you guys around. I'd like to see more of that," Daisy smiled and kissed Dom's cheek, following the doctor back through the ER doors.

"I'm gonna get coffee, wanna come with?" Mia asked Brian, noting the dark circles under his eyes. Brian was a tough man and didn't whine about much, but Mia could tell this whole ordeal was getting to him. He hardly slept at home and when he did, he was plagued with frightening nightmares. He needed a break.

The two searched the hospital until they found the cafeteria, where Mia prepared them both a drink. Brian sat at a nearby table, placing his forehead to the cool top, enjoying the brief relief it gave to his migraine.

Mia placed her hands on his shoulders and began massaging him, not surprised at how tense and tight his muscles were. She ran her hands through his blond hair, caressing his temples to help him relax.

"Mia, I've never seen so much agony in Dom's eyes before. Such guilt and pain. He's blaming himself for all of this when it's not his fault; it's mine."

"Do not go there Brian," Mia sat in front of him, gripping his face between her fingers. "You were doing your job, to clear your name. Anyone of us would've done the same."

"Yeah, but look what's come from it? I'm an ex-FBI agent on the run - wanted for the breakout of the number-three Most Wanted criminal in North America, I've ruined your life and future, and now I'm the reason Letty's laid up in that hospital fighting for her life."

"Brian, this could've happened at any time. Dom and the gang have been pulling heists since we were teenagers. No one had any clue that we'd end up here. No point in bitching about it now because we can't change it, we can't take it all back. We just have to keep going."

"Mia, Dom's tired. He's tired of running. I mean, back in Mexico, he _willingly_ let those cops cuff him. He was ready to go to jail. He was ready to give it all up."

"Don't worry, I'm his baby sister. I've been able to make Dom do anything I've wanted since I was born. I can change his mind."

"And then what Mi? Where would we go after this?"

"I was reading about places with no US extradition ties – India is looking like a pretty damn good place."

* * *

About an hour later, the doctor reappeared in the waiting room with Daisy by his side. Leon jumped up quickly and pulled her into a tight hug, happy to see her come out of everything okay.

"How is she Doc?" Dom asked, standing in front of the smiling doctor.

"Perfectly okay. Blood pressure's a little high but she and baby are doing just fine. Now, in the coming weeks or so she may experience some side effects to the blood transfusion, such as a fever or maybe an allergic reaction – all very curable. You guys are welcome to see her now."

The team cheered and ventured to see their injured friend. Before Dom could thank the doctor, he stopped him in his tracks. "I've got a bone to pick with you, Mister."

Dom groaned and rolled his eyes, "Not again."

"Is this your first kid?" Dom gave a curt nod. "Words of advice: quit putting your family in danger. She should be at home with her feet kicked up, not out at some street race. Now with injuries sustained from knife or guns, we are required by law to call the police for a follow-up investigation. But I'm gonna give you a chance because I see how terrified you are and you wouldn't be here if you did this to her yourself. Now Daisy was a little hesitant to tell me what put Letty here, what happened?"

Dom silently thanked the Lord that his girls were okay. Also, he was happy the doctor wasn't involving the authorities – that was the last thing the Team needed.

"We were at a race and some guy forced her into a car after it was over. We went after them and after about a mile or two, he jumped dumped her out. Like that. Covered in blood and barely breathing," Dom explained as vaguely as he could. "I was so stuck in a daze. Had Brian not been there to snap me out of it, she wouldn't have made it."

"Well then it looks like you and Letty owe Mr. Brian here a huge thank-you."

Dom stood alone in the room with his hands shoved in his pockets. Though all he could hear were the sounds of monitors and machines, the doctor's words were loud and clear – this was the wake-up call that he needed. It was time to grow up and hang up is criminal cape. In the beginning, all of the heists were for the money, then it became about the thrill of the chase. The fact that his team could outrun any and every one, including the FBI, was exhilarating.

But now, things had gone too far. He, his sister, and Brian were wanted fugitives. His baby sister – whom he was supposed to protect after his father died – is now a wanted woman. She'll never be able to have a normal life; she'll never get that nursing degree that she worked so hard for. She would be running away from danger and jail time for the rest of her life.

_Not if I have anything to do with it_, Dom said to himself.

Dominic swallowed the growing lump in his throat and pushed the door open. His pride and joy was lying down, but smiling at Vince. He watched the connection between the two and smiled. They were really as close as siblings. Vince took care of Letty when Dom was in Lompoc, and Dom couldn't thank him enough. Mia slipped in the room quietly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Bathroom," she replied to Dom's wondering look. He watched her instantly run to Letty's side, the two women hugging as if it had been years. He knew they missed the normality of life together; gossiping about the boys and chasers at the races, annoying the guys at work, and enjoying their bond over a few beers at the store.

"You two couldn't read the signs that led you here, huh?" Letty's sarcasm always did make him smile, despite the situation.

"No, I was trying to get the doc to up the sedative amount. Maybe it'll finally shut you up for once," he retorted with a grin.

"Do you two ever play nice?" Daisy asked from her seat near the wall. She was still feeling woozy and didn't want to hear yelling from either of them.

"This _is_ them playing nice," Leon joked.

"All right gang. Let's clear out. Dom you're staying?" Brian asked, wanting to the give the couple some privacy.

"Yeah. Keep watch and we'll meet up in the morning," Dom replied, kissing Mia and waving goodbye to the others. Dom waited for them to leave before he burst into tears.

"Are you crying?" Letty asked in complete shock. She had only see him cry a select few times: at the race in which his father was killed, during Jesse's makeshift funeral, and when he and Let left for the Dominican Republic, leaving his sister behind - and now.

"Letty, I could've lost you two tonight," he wept.

Letty placed her warm and tiny hand on his cheek, caressing his flawless skin with her thumb.

"Everything's okay, papi. This little girl is our miracle baby, Dom. There's no way in hell she should've survived this. We gotta get our shit together. For her."

"That's why I'm gonna take care of Verone and Reyes, then we're out. Out of this country, out of the game. No more heists, no more get-rich-quick schemes. This shit ends in Rio."

Letty looked deep into his eyes and could see the sincerity in his soul. Dom genuinely wanted to clean up his act for his family … for her. She never thought she'd see the day where Dom walked away from the chase to be a 'regular guy'. Dom had finally grown up, albeit fifteen years later, but she was proud and anxious to start a new life without police lights in her rearview.

"Jeez, you sure you're still gonna find me sexy if I'm not hanging off the back of a gas tanker?"

"Depends; are you gonna keep those tight leather pants?"

* * *

Two weeks later, the Team was prepping for the start of several small heists that would lead them to Reyes' fortune and freedom. The Team split up into two groups: Vince, Dom, Brian, Roman and Zizi would jump the DEA train and work on getting close to Reyes' possesions; Tej, Han, Rico and Tego would start gathering as much information as possible on Verone and how to take him down. Letty and the ladies were busy packing up the homes in preparation for the Big Flee. Letty had wanted to stay in her new home, but knew how dangerous it was to stay in Rio after shit hit the fan. The group was undecided on where was next in their journey, but as long as they were prepared, they could easily gain a head-start on anyone tailing them.

"So have you thought of any baby names?" Kameron asked as she sat on the sofa and watched the girls pack up around her.

"You know, that's the one thing I can't work out. I don't wanna give her some screwy name that's gonna ruin her life," Letty replied with a shrug.

"Oh, come on Let. We've had this talk before – what we would name our kids," Mia replied.

"Yeah, when we were fourteen! You thought up Delores after your favorite teacher and I said Dodge after Tony's truck!" Letty said, cringing at her teenage years with Mia.

"You two are pathetic," Daisy scoffed, boxing up more of her belongings. She wasn't sure where this new journey would take her, but she was anxious to find out. She could only hope her brother had gotten his shit together long enough to settle down and stay out of trouble.

"Have you and Dom discussed any baby shit at all?" Kameron asked from the sofa. She had no intentions of helping the women pack, and they didn't seem to mind.

"Not really - haven't actually had a chance. I don't wanna get too settled in-case we have to run again," Letty's voice was low and pained; all this trouble was getting to her. She loved the cat-and-mouse chase she and Dom had with the FBI for all these years; she nearly got off on it. But now was it all worth it? She would be bringing a child into this world soon, and she didn't want to deliver it behind bars. She didn't want to have to move to a different country every month when the cops closed in on them. She needed stability.

"Trust me, Let. After this, I think everyone is done. No more heists, no more money-hungry plans. Get back to what started this in the beginning – cars."

Mia's words held such harsh truth. The Team had been so tied up with money that they got away from the one thing that brought them together in the first place – supped-up, decked-out tuners and the lifestyle. Sure, maybe street-racing wasn't the best idea for middle-aged adults but the beauty and technology of the cars is what reeled them in. To rediscover who Team Toretto was, they would have to go back to their roots and do what they're best at – being a tight-knit family and get back to the cars.

"Mia, write this down because I may never say it again," Letty started. "But you're right."

"Did you bump your head Let?" Letty gave her a questioning eyebrow. "You should know I'm always right."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24-Precious Valuables**

"Wow – nice ride," Han admired the beauty of the blue Ford GT40 as it rolled up the warehouse ramp.

"Nice is an understatement, dawg. This little chica is fucking incredible," Roman said as he slid out the driver's seat.

"Where did you get it from and why is it here? I thought you were after the money?" Tej asked, popping the hood to take a better look.

"No money, only three cars."

"Now that's what I call a car," Rico said with a grin, pointing at the jet black Pantera Detomaso that rolled in behind Roman. Vince stepped out with a Cheshire-cat grin, soaking up the envy.

"I don't care what Dom says, I'm keeping this car," Vince noted to them.

"Speaking of which, where's Dom and Brian?" Leon questioned.

"They were right behind me. Fuck!" Vince growled, him and Leon jumping back into the car and peeling out. Tej slammed the hood quickly and he and Rome jumped in the exquisite car.

"You guys stay here in case they show," Han muttered, grabbing the keys to Rico's truck. "I swear I oughta put leashes on those two."

Meanwhile, Dom and Brian were pulling themselves out of the cold ocean, being accompanied by the local police and Reyes' men. Brian couldn't stop smiling, reeling from the adrenaline rush coursing through his body after he and Dom jumped that beautiful Corvette off a bridge into the surrounding waters below.

"Quit cheesing, goofball. We're in trouble," Dom smacked Brian upside the head with a smile. Brian wiped the grin off his face and stood up straight.

"What can we do for you fellas?"

**-x-**

"Well, well. Good to see you guys again," Reyes said as a battered and bruised Dom and Brian were shoved into his office. The trip over hadn't been so pleasant after Dom insisted on headbutting the arresting officer.

"Can't say the same about you," Dom retorted, wincing at his bloody eye.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Mr. Toretto. You two sure stirred up a lot of shit today. I take it that you boys are ready to play hardball with Verone and I."

"Don't know what you're talking about We just wanted to take a dip," Brian shrugged.

Hernan laughed, pacing back and forth with his drink. Suddenly, the ringing of his phone caught his attention. He answered and the boys watched his face grow red with fury.

"Think that's the call telling him about his precious valuables?" Dom whispered with a smirk.

Hernan slammed the phone down on the receiver, looking at the two with animosity.

"You two realize who you're fucking with? I could have you extradited back to the States right now and locked up for life."

"What's the problem Reyes?"

"Zizi's body was just found in the desert, along with three other of my men. Not to mention - three _dead_ DEA agents on that train. Congratulations boys - looks like you just went from petty criminals to _federal agent_ killers." Brian looked to Dom, knowing that there was no way either of them killed the officers. But it was penned on them, which would now make their task of staying out of jail a hell of a lot harder. "I'm going to give you five minutes to find my cars and get them here. You're fast drivers, right?"

"Kinda hard to do with handcuffs on," Dom stated the obvious.

Reyes pulled his silver .45 from a drawer and loaded it slowly. He put the barrel to Dom's temple and looked to the uniformed cop.

"Un-cuff the funny guy, but only one of his hands. And give him your cell phone. Try anything, and I'll blow him all over this room," Reyes said to Brian. The officer did as he was told, releasing one of Brian's wrists.

"Call Han," Dom said, giving Brian a knowing nod.

"Yo Han … apparently Reyes didn't like our joke … yeah, man, we're at his office … bring 'em here."

Brian snapped the phone shut and handed it to the officer, "On their way."

Reyes stood back and tucked his weapon in his waistband. "Maybe you two aren't as stupid and reckless as you look."

Thankfully for Brian, the rookie cop left his hand relieved, allowing for Brian to snatch his gun out the holster and put it to his head.

"Maybe we are a little stupid and reckless," Dom said with a grin.

"Ha, you think I give a shit about him?" Reyes raised his gun and pointed at the officer. Just as he pulled the trigger, Brian grabbed the cop's Taser gun and shot Hernan, sending a high-voltage shock through his chest. The cop dropped, grasping his now-bleeding chest. Brian quickly grabbed the cuff keys and unlocked Dom's chains.

Dom snatched Reyes' gun. He then began to wail on Reyes, releasing every raw emotion he felt. He ignored the burning feeling in his knuckles. He could deal with a few broken knuckles with the satisfaction of beating Hernan Reyes to a pulp.

"Dom, enough!" Brian pushed him away before it got out of hand. Blood covered Hernan's face and expensive suit, which Dom figured would piss him off more. "We gotta get out of here. That Taser only keeps him down for so long."

"Not without some paperwork," Dom rifled through Reyes' business drawers, looking for some type of information that could help them in their robbery. He cleared two drawers, finding nothing useful. Dom reached the last one, finding a map of the city. On the map, blue pointers marked street addresses on the map. "What do you think of these? Something's gotta be here about that Ford. That was the one Zizi was so persistent about. I think something's in it."

"Let's go find out," the two men bailed out of the office, leaving the scene before back-up showed. Exiting through an emergency door, Brian and Dom were happy to see the boys waiting for them. Dom and Brian jumped in Han's truck and took off.

* * *

It was Sunday and regardless of the day's troubles, the Team would still hold their traditional Sunday barbecue. Unfortunately, with their homes compromised, their dinner would take place in the safehouse. They had no doubts that Reyes was searching high and low for them, but Dom knew their hideout was safe and begged them to enjoy themselves.

"What'd you find, Rico?" Dom asked, stepping away from the indoor-grill. Rico and Roman were working on taking apart the GT40 to examine its importance.

"Nothing, except this chip. It was in the flip-out computer system," he said, handing a small computer chip to Dom.

"O'Connor! Get to this. We need to figure out what this is, and then we eat."

Dom looked across the room at his family. They were enduring the worst time of their lives, yet they were still able to smile, and enjoy their time together. They thought it was his faith that kept them going, but he knew it was the other way around.

He noticed Daisy and Leon cuddled up near the stereo. He figured now was as good a time as any to get to know her.

"Hey, Le. Mind if I cut in? Wanna get to know my future sister-in-law," Dom smiled, holding out a beer to her. Leon nodded and kissed her cheek, giving the two some space.

"I'm not sitting on your lap. You can forget that," Daisy sniped, snatching the beer playfully. Dom rolled his eyes and sat down next to her. They didn't speak for a few minutes, with Daisy's mind glued to Leon and Dom's completely clueless of what to say. "You know he really loves you. Sucks that you treat him like an employee instead of a good friend."

Dom sighed. He knew she wasn't going to go hard on him.

"I know," Dom's response shocked her. She hadn't expected him to agree with her. "I've been neglecting them all, especially Leon. He's such a loyal guy, a real family man. He deserved happiness more than any of us. That's why I'm glad you're here. You give him the happiness he lost when Jesse died."

Daisy couldn't get rid of her smile, even with a mouthful of beer. "I'm not trying to replace anybody. I genuinely like the kid. I could see myself loving him, having a family with him. But I'm gonna need him alive for that."

"I give you my word. Nothing is gonna happen to Leon," Dom promised with sincerity in his voice.

"What about you? You and Letty ever going to get married?"

"Actually, after the baby's born, Leon and I were gonna run away together and raise it as our own."

If Dominic hadn't cracked a smile under her glare, she would've taken him serious.

"Dom! Come look at this," Brian hollered. The team surrounded the computer. "It has these navigational buttons here. It looks like a tracking order. We are literally holding Reyes' entire drug empire in our hands, right now. "

"Same building, same order every week," Dom noticed the consistencies.

"What the hell is it?" Roman asked, uninterested.

"It's a delivery schedule. The same order is delivered to offline locations every week," Dom spoke loudly.

"Well what is it being delivered?" Mia asked curiously.

"Cash. About ten million dollars of it to each location," Brian answered through shallow breath.

"Why would he set up cash houses around the city holding _that_ much money?"

"No paper trail. With the entire city on his payroll, he's able to transfer the money in and out the city without the blink-of-an-eye," said Dom. "And that special symbol there must be his drug kitchen. Probably some hole in the wall you'd never take a second look at."

"I say we go knock every one of these over and get rich," Roman said loudly with a wide smile.

"Are you crazy? You know every one of these is heavily guarded. Don't be dumb, Dominic," Letty tried to be the voice of reason.

"She's right, Dom. There's no way in hell that we're even getting close to those stashes," Vince agreed.

"We'll think of something. Let's eat."

* * *

"You two please hurry. It's bad enough that we have to babysit you while you shop, but to do it in this fucking heat is cruel and unusual punishment," Tego said through the passenger window after Letty and Mia got out the car. The ladies decided they wanted to shop to take their mind off things, and that meant work for the boys. Tego and Rico were in charge of driving and keeping an eye on the girls.

"You're from the deep south of Mexico; you two can handle this heat. Suck it up and quit being pussies," Letty rolled her eyes and followed Mia into the shopping mall.

"Aww, Let! Look how cute!" Mia exclaimed for the tenth time since she and Letty started their baby shopping.

"Mia, come on. I'm having a girl. She's not gonna be decked out in monster trucks and creepy crawlers," Letty scoffed.

"Oh come on, Let. You've been decked out in race cars since you were ten. And you turned out … bitter," Mia joked, receiving a playful nudge from her friend.

"That's what I'm saying, Mia. I took a lot of shit growing up. I don't want that for her," she replied, picking out a few undershirts and shoes.

"Well a cousin would probably help her out, huh?"

Letty shrugged as she grabbed a few outfits off the racks. She thought about Mia's statement again and the realization dawned on her.

"Are you saying...?" Mia nodded happily, the widest smile covering her face. She was excited to finally tell someone the secret she had been hiding for weeks. "Oh my god! You're pregnant!"

"I found out right after we got here. I wanted to keep it lowkey until things died down."

"That's awesome, Mi. How far are you?" Letty was thankful she wasn't the only one who'd be bloated, moody, and sore.

"About two and a half months. I haven't told anyone yet so keep your mouth shut, y'hear me? Not even Dom."

"Scout's honor. You know O'Connor is going to shit right?"

"Oh I know. He will be a good father, I think. I just hope Dom doesn't rip him apart when he finds out the ex-cop knocked up his baby sister."

"That's for sure. He's going to kick Brian's ass," Letty laughed at Brian's expense.

The two continued their clothes shopping, both helping each other picking out baby gear and wear. They reminisced over the past, enjoying the memories and debating the outcome had things been different. Where would the Team be, had it not been for Brian entering their lives the way he had? Would they all still be in L.A., boosting semis for cash? Or would they be in jail – or even worse: dead?

Letty didn't want to think of not having the people she did in her life. She didn't want to think of Leon, or Vince being killed because of their stupid scams. It was bad enough they had to lose one of the most vital members of their crew – Jesse. But now that their family had grown up and expanded, she had more hope for them. Team Toretto would get back on their feet and get on the straight-and-narrow.

"Green jacket, ugly orange shirt following us. Don't look," Mia whispered as she noticed the handsome man who had been behind them for a while. Letty turned to look anyway, shocked at the face of the assailant.

"What the hell is _he_ doing here?" Letty murmured, trying not to make eye-contact with him.

"You _know_ him?" Mia asked ruefully.

"Something like that," she shrugged. "Come on."

Letty and Mia quickly disappeared down a small aisle and ditched the carts; baby shopping could wait. They tried to maneuver their way back to the front of the store, but it was difficult with the large amount of people that populated the shopping center. Letty smiled when they hit the check-out lanes – they were almost to safety. Just as they made it to the exit, Damon Reyes stepped in their line of view.

"Buenas tardes, ladies," Damon put on his million-dollar smile. "Didn't find anything you like?"

"What do you want? Any business we had is over with," Letty stated rudely. She was starving, sleepy, and she had to piss like crazy; she was in no mood for arrogant pricks today.

"I agree, ma'am, it is. But this is new business. I need you two to come with me."

"Like hell we will," Letty shook her head.

"Don't be stubborn, Letty. Let's just do this so there's not any trouble."

"I'll be damned if I do, Mia. You can just go fuck-off with whatever business you have."

Letty grabbed Mia's hand and tried to push her way past him at the door, but it was no use. Damon Reyes and his posse were like a football team guarding the exit and the women stood no chance.

"I think you better come with me now," Damon pulled his jacket back, revealing two tucked Ruger's in her waistband.

"You think that a gun is going to scare me? Please. I have had more guns pointed at me in the past year that you can count," Letty kept up her façade. She was terrified more than ever now that she was carrying a child, but she didn't want to let on. In her mind, fear was weakness. And she'd be damned if she appeared vulnerable to anyone else.

In one swift motion, Reyes pulled a gun and stuck it to Mia's head, changing the entire atmosphere. Several scared store patrons crouched down, fearing a robbery was taking place. Mia whimpered as she begged Damon not to pull the trigger. If Mia's whining wasn't already getting on Letty's nerves, she would've held her ground forever.

"Ugh," Letty rolled her eyes. "Come on. But you pull that gun again and you'll regret it," Letty stalked off with the men in tow.

Damon rolled his eyes and followed. "Royal pain in my ass," he mumbled.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25-Stupid and Reckless**

"What the fuck do you mean they were kidnapped?" Dom yelled, flipping over the metal table in the safehouse. He had just received the news from Tego and Rico that Letty and Mia were snatched out of the shopping mall in broad daylight and he was on a warpath.

"We were outside, Dominic. We didn't know!" Rico tried to explain, fearing Dom's wrath.

"You were supposed to be with them!" Dom yelled, pointing at them. "You weren't supposed to let them out of your sights!" Dom and the others – especially Brian – were heated that the two cousins could be so brainless to leave the women alone. They were being haunted by the FBI, the most powerful man in Rio, and every local cop behind him.

"We're gonna have to speed up the timeline, Dom. We need to hit these houses now," Brian said, every fear and worry in his mind now gone. His girlfriend was now a hostage and he refused to let anyone cause her harm.

"Brian, it's too dangerous," Dom said, running his palms down his face. He couldn't begin to describe the amount of stress that weighed on his shoulders.

"I don't give a damn how dangerous it is, Dominic!" the tone of Brian's voice surprised everyone. He had been the relatively sane one of the group, but yelling at Dominic was just crazy. "The woman I want to marry is probably hurt and scared and I'm not gonna wait around until something happens."

"Then what exactly do you think we should do?" Dom tried not to knock every tooth out of Brian's mouth for his tone.

"I say we hit one."

"And just how do you expect us to get the others? As soon as we show up to the first one, they'll be doing everything they can to protect the others," Han spoke everyone's thoughts.

"Exactly - hit one and send a message. He's gonna bust his ass to move them all to one safe place."

"Helluva lot easier to steal his money if it's all in one place," Dom smiled, finally understanding where Brian was going with this.

An hour later, Dom and the boys were standing inside the Leblon cash house next to about ten million dollars in cash up in flames. The set-up was run like an assembly line with several half-naked women counting, sorting, and wrapping fresh crisp bills. And the whole thing had been shut down by a couple of pissed off fugitives.

"Are you loco? Do you know who you're stealing from? Yeah, you better hide 'cause Reyes is going to find you before you make it off this street!" the ringleader of the workers yelled furiously. He knew his life was hanging by the threads now that they were being robbed. It was his responsibility to look over the money and make sure everything ran smoothly.

Dom and the rest pulled off their ski-masks, revealing their faces. "Who's hiding? You tell Reyes he's fucked with the wrong people. There's more of this coming. I want my girls back."

**-x-**

"Now what?"

The big question echoed off the warehouse walls from Tej's mouth. They sat around the table, waiting. They waited for something to give, for their big break. Dom personally waited for the miracle of his baby's mother and sister to walk through those doors, unharmed. Dom knew the word had spread fast about what happened to Reyes' cash and they were running out of time.

"Fuck!" Brian yelled, slamming his angry hands on the table.

Suddenly, the prepaid cell phone on the table began ringing, scaring everyone surrounding it. Dom reached for it, putting it on speakerphone and placing it back on the table.

"Who is this?"

"Dom! Please help!" Mia's voice received a sigh of relief from everyone.

"Don't worry Bella, we're on our way. How's Letty, Mia?"

"Your precious girlfriends are fine," a familiar male voice took over, "but they won't be for long. You idiots really fucked up this time."

"Verone, I swear: you even so much as breathe too close to them and I'll slice your fucking throat," Dom growled, his baritone voice bouncing off the warehouse like a megaphone.

"Now Mr. Toretto, even a man as street-smart as you would know not to make threats when these two _very_ important lives are on the line."

Dom's face was nearly purple and every vein in his throat throbbed but he kept his mouth shut.

"Smart man," Verone said to his silence. "You and your followers need to meet Reyes and me at your precious garage in an hour. And you better come up with ten million dollars by then, or I pick off the babies first. Ciao."

"Babies? As in more than one?" Brian whispered, wondering what the hell Verone was talking about.

The line went dead, leaving the guys confused and pissed off.

"Dom, you realize we don't have ten million dollars right?" Rome stated the obvious, which only annoyed Dom more.

"Shut up man," Tej nudged him quiet.

"We need to set up surveillance at the cash houses. He should be moving them soon."

"What about the meeting?" Han asked.

"Split up at the other spots. O'Connor, you ride with me."

"That'll leave us one man short," Tej noted.

"I'll handle that. Come on, let's go," Leon said as he thought of the perfect assistant.

* * *

"You know how bad you fucked up? When the boys get here, you two are dead," Letty spoke carelessly to her kidnappers. She looked to Damon, who stood guard at the entrance, "I might let him spare your life."

"For someone so pretty, you talk too fucking much!" Carter Verone snapped.

The group was at _Jesse's_, the Team's recently rebuilt garage, except now it was in shambles, new tools broken and new graffiti lining the mural. It broke Letty's heart the most to see Dom's rare artwork destroyed. The women were hanging in the center of the garage, their wrists bound to the chains on an engine lift.

Letty rolled her eyes and turned to look at Damon. He stood still, his face stoic as he watched his uncle and his longtime business associate ordered their men to rip the beautiful garage to shreds.

"I was wrong about you, Damon," hearing his name, he turned to her. "Here I was, thinking you were some small-time hustler who had a little compassion. Now I see you're nothing but a gutless bastard. Like these two," Letty snarled. "You are a piece of shit low-life and I hope I personally can pull the trigger that blows your fucking head off."

Verone swatted the barrel of his gun at Letty's face, splitting her cheek nicely. "I told you to shut up."

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Mia groaned; she couldn't think of a worse time for her morning sickness to kick-in, especially considering they were suspended several feet into the air.

"How cute," Verone said sarcastically.

Verone walked to one of his henchmen, pulling him away to talk privately. Mia was surprised to hear them speaking in French, a tactic to keep the conversation a secret. He wasn't aware of Mia being just as fluent in French after taking up the language class at UCLA.

"Letty," Mia whispered, "Verone's going to kill Damon."

"How do you know that? Hernan wouldn't let him do that."

"Trust me, that's the plan."

"Well then ... shit just got twisted."

* * *

"'One' is on the move," Roman stated over a two-way radio from the restaurant across from his cash house.

Soon after, each of the others reported their SUVs traveling back on the road again. Just as suspected, Hernan Reyes was starting to transfer his entire life savings to a secure, unknown location.

"He's moving," Brian said from the Impreza.

"Our guy is off. Tej, keep an eye on them. Guys, make sure you hit the trucks before they make it to the drop spot. Afterwards, I want you guys to meet me at the garage. Don't forget the plan," Dom dropped the radio and picked up his shotgun, loading it with one hand and tailing the SUV with the other.

Brian pulled out in front of the black truck, while Dom got directly behind it. They drove for a mile on the city streets, making sure to keep up with the route that Tej directed. Brian came to a slow stop with truck stopping also.

"Burn 'em," Dom muttered.

Instantly, Brian burned the rubber on his tires, kicking up a large cloud of white smoke into the air. Dom crept out of his car slowly, keeping the shotgun low. The driver of the truck stepped out, clearly annoyed at the delay. Dom crouched and approached the driver, smashing the butt of his weapon on his head. The man's legs caved quickly, his body dropping to the ground. Brian kept the tires roasting, creating a distraction for Dom. The passenger and Dom pointed their weapons quickly but Dom fired first, killing the man instantly. Dominic could feel his hands quivering as he reached for both bags of cash, but ignored it as he tossed them in his car.

He slammed the car in reverse and swiftly spun the car around speeding off in the opposite direction.

"It's done," Dom said into the talkie, trying to ignore the blood splatter on is white t-shirt. He reached over and unzipped the black duffel bag, smiling as he pulled out a stack of bills. "I've missed you, Ben."

* * *

"You're precious boyfriends aren't gonna make it," Damon Reyes teased the women.

"Neither are you, apparently," Mia muttered to herself.

"And what does that mean?" Damon spoke, though it was against his uncle's wishes.

"Well those two are planning to kill you after they _try_ to kill my brother and boyfriend," Mia replied, a smug, Toretto grin on her face.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Damon scowled, approaching her slowly.

"Your idiot uncle just signed some bogus deal. Carter just bought out your half of the family business. They know you'll run your mouth after you're booted so they are going to kill you. "

Damon looked at the smug grin on her face, unable to tell if she was bullshitting him.

"I speak French very well. Ask him."

Damon eyed Carter Verone closely. He didn't like the man and he sure as hell didn't trust him, which made Mia's words more believable.

Before he could debate it, several engines were heard arriving outside.

"Great. The party finally starts," Carter grinned, rubbing his hands together excitedly.

**-x-**

Dom tried to shake the panic and anxiety that passed through his body after taking a man's life from point-blank range. He did it, though, knowing the assailant wouldn't have thought twice about doing the same to protect the money.

"Tej, how's it looking?" Dom asked, checking his rearview to make sure Brian was behind him.

"Everyone hit the cars, except our girl. We still got two marks out there," Tej reported from the roof of a skyscraper that overlooked the city. He had a bird's eye view of 'Operation Benjamin'- their plan of attacking each money-transfer truck, doing whatever they could to seize the duffel bags full of cash. "But she _is_ working hard to get their attention." Tej admired Daisy's booty-shaking from afar.

Dom chuckled, "Just make sure you get the rest of the loot."

Dom drifted into the parking lot of _Jesse's_, jumping out quickly. He grabbed the small handgun from the trunk, along with the heavy black bags. Brian skidded in behind him, pulling his weapon from his car as well. He opened the trunk, using two hands to pull Roberto from his car. The man had been tied up at the warehouse for weeks because the crew had no idea what to do with him. No one had the balls to kill him, and it was too much of a risk to release him. But today all of the trouble would end and Roberto would become useless. They had to get rid of him.

"Keep up," Dom muttered to him, entering the garage.

His blood boiled at the sight of his longtime girlfriend and sister dangling several feet in the air. He had to put his arm out in front of Brian to keep him from getting shot for trying something. Dom tried to stay emotion-less at the sight of his memorial for Jesse. The shop was destroyed, but his painting was more important and hurt the most.

"Welcome to the party, boys," Verone grinned, holding his arms out wide. "You boys are good. I underestimated you. I didn't think you had the balls to come after what's ours."

"Bigger balls than you think," Dom stood his ground. "So how do we do this?"

"Well the way I see it," Reyes started, "You've returned my money so I'm not going to kill you today. Just replace the money you destroyed, and I'll give you a twenty-four hour head start. After that, I'll send out the bloodhounds for a treat. How's that sound?"

Dom approached the two slowly, keeping an eye on the man pointing a gun at his pregnant girlfriend's head. He stopped a few feet from Reyes, dropping one of the bags at his feet. Brian let Roberto go, kicking him in the ass so he'd move forward.

"How 'bout I give you half and Roberto and you spring the girls loose. They aren't involved in this."

Reyes looked to Verone, who shrugged. He looked to his men and gave them the signal to let them down.

Letty thanked God that things were going smooth. She instinctively placed her hands over her belly as she touched the ground, protecting her cub. Letty ran to Dom, exchanging kisses quickly before being pushed to Brian. Before Mia could run, Damon grabbed her by the hair, pulling her back to him.

"Hey!" Brian yelled, stepping to him with his gun pointed.

"I wouldn't do that," Verone said as Damon put his piece to Mia's head "Brian O'Connor. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

As he spoke, more of the Team arrived, evening up the body count. The bay doors filled with bodies, Dom's team standing tall and equipped with weapons.

"How was jail, homeboy?" Rome teased Verone as he entered.

Carter clinched his teeth and cocked his gun back, fed up with Roman's mouth already.

"Now tell me, did you have your manhood taken or were you a willing participant?"

He and Tej bumped knuckles, laughing at Carter's expense.

"You still got a big fucking mouth, boy," Verone scowled, staggering towards Roman. Dom put his gun to Verone's head as he approached, stopping him in Dom's personal space.

"Enough!" Reyes yelled, annoyed with the antics. "I want my money and you all out of my country, now!"'

"Guys, give him the money," Dom ordered, looking at Reyes with a grin. When Hernan realized that they were in possession of a lot more than ten million dollars, he let out a string of curses. "Stupid and reckless," Dom shrugged carelessly.


	26. Chapter 26

**We are nearing the end of this story! This will be the last official chapter, with a two-part epilogue following. Just wanna thank everyone who stuck with me through yet another story. I appreciate the response to my writing. I really think it's awesome that people from countries all over the globe read my stories. **

**Thanks and enjoy!**

**Chapter 26-Cashing Out**

"Guys, give him the money," Dom ordered, looking at Reyes with a grin. When Hernan realized that they were in possession of a lot more than ten million dollars, he let out a string of curses. "Stupid and reckless," Dom shrugged carelessly. The group obliged, dropping their sacks of cash near the doorway.

"You got your money, now let my sister go," Dom growled low and menacingly.

Hernan's men gathered the bags and loaded them in his SUV. Damon's heart dropped – he knew what was coming next. Suddenly, gunfire rang out as Verone pulled the trigger on his weapon, shooting and hitting Roman in the bicep. Brian returned fire, dropping three of Reyes' henchmen.

Before anyone else could die, Hernan fired several shots into the ceiling, ceasing all gunfire.

"Enough!" he yelled, "I'm not having bloodshed on my name."

"Then you better ghost me right now," Dom threatened with hostility, cocking his weapon.

Without warning another shot rang out, nailing Carter Verone right in the family jewels. He howled in pain and grasped at his damaged goods, dropping to his knees in agony.

"Roman! Get out!" Dom barked at his injured friend.

"He shot me first!" Rome whined back. "Looks like I hit a sensitive spot," Rome smiled as Tej and Leon pushed him out of the bay doors and harm's way.

Meanwhile, Brian slowly crept around the group towards Damon and Mia. He had come too far and worked too hard to regain Mia's heart and trust, he wasn't about to lose her now. He was only five feet away when Damon noticed and turned his gun on him.

"Back the fuck off, Snowflake," Damon yelled, firing a shot past Brian's head.

"I swear to God I will light you up if you don't let her go, now!" Brian stepped closer with his gun, tired of waiting for one of his men, or worse, to take a bullet next. "Put the goddamn gun down now!"

"Fucking shoot that broad!" Verone's words rang through Damon's head.

Damon's hand quivered with every passing second, knowing he had to make a decision fast. It was his life or her's and he was running out of time. He fired his weapon, blasting three shots over Brian's shoulder, killing Hernan's last remaining guards.

"What the hell are you doing? You little-" Verone drew his weapon and pointed it, but before he could fire Dominic shot first, landing a bullet square in Carter's forehead. Before today, he had never purposely shot another person. He was two-for-two now.

"Told you to ghost me," Dom muttered to the bleeding corpse. He turned his gun on Reyes and waited for him to even flinch so he could finish what he started. Hernan stood fearless, pulling a cigar from his suit and lighting it slowly.

"Damon, kill this motherfucker please. I have a flight to catch," Hernan ordered carelessly to his nephew.

Damon let Mia go and pushed her into Brian's arm. He dropped his weapon and kicked it away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? They tried to steal everything I've worked so hard for. Our dynasty!" Hernan screamed. Damon rummaged through Carter's briefcase, retrieving papers that concerned the drug operation.

"She was right," Damon said while reading," Do you even realize what you're doing? Signing the company over to that scumbag?"

"It was a business move, Damon. You aren't ready to run this business, my boy. These men in this business will rip you apart. Look at you, still wet behind the ears and too afraid to pull the trigger."

"I don't kill women and I damn sure don't kill babies.!" Damon yelled. "You are a gutless pig," Damon turned to a confused Dom. "Do what you want with him, but the money stays."

Dom nodded, shaking his hand. Damon started out the garage, but was injured when Hernan quickly drew his pistol, discharging a shot that grazed Damon's neck. Brian raised his weapon again, turning Mia's face away as he put several bullets in Hernan Reyes' chest.

With their enemies lying in a pool of their own blood, the gang was finally able to breathe freely. They looked around the room at the carnage that lay, many dead bodies covering the garage floor. Dom looked up at Brian and gave him a soft nod; their struggles were finally over and the good life would soon begin.

"Thank fucking God, Dominic," Letty exhaled happily as she ran back into the garage and into his arms. He lifted her up, showing her off as his trophy once again.

"I can't believe they destroyed the fucking shop," Vince spoke, taking in all of the damage slowly. "All that hard work for it to be gone two months later."

"Let's just be thankful everyone is okay," said Mia as she wiped her eyes. She didn't like the sight or smell of dead bodies; it was only making her nauseous again.

"Almost everyone," Damon's shaky voice said. Letty and the others crowded around the bleeding man, curious if he'd make it or not.

"Team, roll out. Brian and I will take it from here. Mia, patch up Motor-Mouth," Dom said to the others. He waited for the room to clear out before taking a knee next to Damon. "You all right?" Dom whispered to him. He felt bad for the guy considering his own blood relative was going to kill him to protect their drug setup. Dom was especially grateful that the man didn't kill the only remaining family member he had left.

"Yeah, just a flesh would," Damon said, sitting up slowly against the wall. "You boys better run. Cops will be here any minute."

"He's right, Dom. We gotta hightail it outta here," Brian added.

"Wait," Dom demanded, "Letty told me about you helping her out. Thanks. I owe you, a lot," Dom said sincerely, holding his hand out. Damon looked deep into Dom's dark eyes and could see a honorable man behind the callous bravado.

"Don't mention it. Plus, she kinda scared me so I didn't have a choice," he joked.

Dom ran to his car and switched out his duffel bags, sitting them near Damon's body. Dom and Brian left him their weapons just in case and jumped in their cars, speeding away from the gruesome scene.

"Roberto!" Damon hollered for the hiding man. Roberto stood from behind an overturned work table and limped to Damon's side. "Help me up, man. Let's get out of here."

Roberto, starved and battered, obliged and shakily helped Damon to his feet. He grabbed the last two cash bags and helped the man out to the SUV. Roberto tossed the bags in the back of the car along with the others. Damon held his hand over his wound as he walked around the car, standing in front of his new fortune.

"Let's get the hell out of here! Vamos¡" Roberto tried to close the door, but Damon stopped him.

"Sorry Roberto, but I'm taking this ride alone," Damon spoke before shooting Roberto point-blank in the head. Damon sighed and looked at the bags, smiling a his new found wealth. He unzipped two bags, reaching in and pulling out crisp, wrapped hundred dollar bills. Damon thought about how hard the experienced team had to work get a hold of the cash and wondered why they let it go so easily. Curious, he searched a third bag and a smile made it's way to his face.

What Damon, Verone, and Hernan was unaware of was that after the Team came into possession of the real money, the switched the bags with replica tote bags containing loads of bundled, blank paper. So instead of Damon having 100 million dollars sitting in front of him, he had about ten million dollars and eight bags of useless paper.

"Slick bastards," Damon chuckled, dumping the other eight bags out, white paper filling the air.

**-x-**

"Did you just give him ten million dollars, Dominic?" Brian asked over his two-way radio.

"I told him I owed him. Don't worry, everyone still gets their cut."

The gang met back up at the safe house, surrounding the table with nine tote bags, each containing ten million dollars. The boys overturned them, stacks of cash covering the table. The group couldn't be happier, breaking out the beers and smiles. They couldn't believe they actually pulled off one of the biggest heists possible, with that sweet reward of millions of cash and a new life of luxury.

"Now can you explain all this baby talk?" Brian asked Mia while she sewed up Roman's bloody arm wound.

"I wanted to wait until we were out of Brazil to tell everyone, bu I'm pregnant," Mia replied with wide eyes, hoping for a good reaction from everyone, especially Brian.

The group erupted in cheers, congratulating the troubled couple. They deserved some type of happiness and a baby was sure to do it.

"Are you freakin' serious?" Brian asked enthusiastically, covering her mouth with his before she could answer. His reaction couldn't have been more perfect for her.

"Get off her, that's how she ended up knocked-up in the first place," Dom sniped, pulling the two apart. He gave Mia a big smile before hugging her himself. "Aw, Bella," Dominic couldn't be happier for the two. A baby was just what the protective and nurturing woman needed – not taking care of seven adults.

"Had to pay some debts so we're gonna have to split it down a little lower," Dom spoke, stuffing the money back into the bags. "You ladies don't mind sharing a cut with your men do you?"

"Hey!" Vince started to gripe but Kameron cut him off.

"Quit whining. I don't mind splitting ten million with you. Plus, this means you're stuck with me," she smirked.

"No fucking problem," Daisy said, snatching her duffel bag from Dom. Leon wrapped his arm around her with a cheeky grin.

He handed the others each a bag, watching their faces light up with bliss as they accepted their hard-earned reward. He was glad to be able to provide each with a new start, considering he was the cause of the end of their old lives. But he was almost positive they wouldn't hold it against him anymore.

Letty sat alone on a sofa away from the group, kicking her aching feet up on the table. She rubbed her bruising and sore wrists, thankful to be home and safe. She was surprised that Damon turned out to have a heart after all. She was grateful her knight in a shining Buick swooped in and saved her yet again. She chuckled at the thought of Dom behind the wheel of that horrible car. _We need to get him a new car first thing in the morning_, she thought. She watched him across the room as he interacted with his family. She couldn't believe how much things had changed in just three months. When she arrived in Brazil, she had intentions of getting a new identity and starting her life over again, alone. She was going to be a lonely, single-mother with a lifer baby-daddy. But things had turned around after only a month of being here, and even she couldn't believe it ended the way it had. She had her family, ten million dollars, and her longtime boyfriend back in her life; nothing could go wrong now.

The hatred she used to feel towards life was now merely a memory. She would be more appreciative of family and friends. She would be generous to others and mindful of her tendency to shut others out when she needed help the most. Letty, the bitter, scared girl would die and Leticia the adult woman was born.

Dominic looked around for someone who was usually glued to his side – Letty. He spotted her across the room sitting alone, massaging her limps. She looked especially beautiful, even considering she was just kidnapped, assaulted and hung by her wrists from an engine lift. He grabbed their bag and walked over to her, taking over rubbing her swollen ankles for her. Her head lobbed back, enjoying the soothing motions his hands made over her skin. She sat in a daze as she stared at the bundle of cash in her hand; she could definitely get used to this life.

"So Let, I was thinking..."

"Oh God, you don't need a doctor now do you?" she joked.

"Har har," she stuck her tongue out, "Really though. I've been thinking about us. I think we should get married."

It was earth shattering words that Letty hadn't expected to hear from Dom. They talked about marriage a little when they were in the Dominican Republic, but nothing serious. There had always been a secret agreement that they would stay exclusive to each other, but a ring wasn't needed to show their dedication. They didn't even like labeling each other as "girlfriend" and "boyfriend".

But now Dominic had said the 'M' word and it left her flabbergasted.

"You think _what_?"

"I think we should get married, after you have our baby. We've been together for nearly fourteen years, Let. I have loved you since I was nineteen years old. You have stuck with me during the most shitty situations, and reeled me in when I got caught up in the glory of it. I know I've fucked up a lot in the past. I drug you around the world and abandoned you in a foreign country because I thought it was the best thing. Now I understand it was selfish; you held your weight through every situation thus far, why was it too dangerous then? It was stupid, and I'm really sorry. I'm sorry you risked everything to work with the FBI to get me home. I'm sorry you were nearly killed because of it. You have no idea how devastated I was when Mia told me you had been murdered."

Letty's eyes watered at his words. He had finally started to understand where she was coming from. All these years of trying to get Dom to actually listen to her had paid off. Now, he was making her dream since she was twelve come true by telling her that he wanted _her_ to be his wife. He chose her over all the skanks he slept with behind her back, the "reputation" from the race world, and the fast life filled with cops, heists, and murder.

Finally, after nearly twenty years of chasing after Dominic Toretto, he was finally all hers.

"...So what I'm trying to say is will you marry me, Leticia Ortiz?" she tuned back in.

The smile on his face rivaled a kid on Christmas. His eyes were hopeful as he waited for her reply.

"You bet your ass, papi."

Dom lifted his new fiance into the air and returned to the crowd. He held his lady in his arms effortlessly while she held his beer in the air for a toast.

"I just wanna thank everybody for coming out and helping get this job done. You guys could have walked away when things got rough but you didn't. No matter what happens from here on out, the only thing that matters is the people in this very room, at this moment," Dom looked around to his diverse group of friends. "Mi familia."


	27. Epilogue Part 1

**Epilogue Pt.1-Baby Blues**

Somewhere under the bright lights of Tokyo, Japan, Dominic Toretto was finishing up the last minute preparations on his current project of rebuilding a Plymouth Road Runner – a car he won from Han during a pink-slip's race in the Dominican Republic a few years back. Thankfully, an associate of Han's held on to it after Dominic split. He needed something to occupy his mind while waiting for the coming arrival of his daughter.

After leaving Rio de Janiero with federal agents on his tail, Dom and his lover Letty traveled the world, stopping in places such as Jamaica and Italy for a romantic vacation together. They traveled aimlessly for two months before stopping in Japan to await the birth of his child. After a week in Tokyo, Dom was devastated to find out his good friend Han was killed only a few weeks earlier. He was sad to lose another friend, but he decided to bring the Plymouth back to life in Han's honor.

"How's she coming?" he looked up at the sound of Letty's voice. There she was, standing in doorway wearing one of his large t-shirts that barely covered her privates. Her long hair was tangled up in a messy bun, but Dom didn't think she could look anymore beautiful. Especially with her huge baby bump protruding from underneath his shirt.

"Good as new. I say after a test run she will be ready for a good home."

"You're a good man, Dominic. Fixing up cars and giving them to less fortunate families. Tony would be proud of you."

Dom knew his work was a thoughtful and generous thing to do, but it was nice for the confirmation. Every country they visited, Dom would find a junked car in dire need of attention and jump in head-first, building it back to new and working condition and giving it to a local family in need. It wasn't much, but Dom couldn't understand the concept of someone not having a vehicle for their family, and he wanted to help as much as he could. His father, Tony, always told him: "You and your sister take so much for granted … try giving back for once."

So that's what he was doing.

"Figured I could use some good karma," he smiled, stepping away from the shiny car. "Besides, since you've put little Dominic in the dog house for the next two months, I have to find something to keep my hands busy."

"Trust me, you aren't the only one suffering from little Peanut," she griped, finding her hand down his sweatpants. Dom growled low; it had been a while since anyone's hand other than his own was done there. "I'm sure we can find something to occupy those hands."

Long after rolling around with Letty, Dom decided to take the Road Runner for a test run. He followed the night-time traffic to a large city garage to the top floor. Dominic was in awe at the bright colors and even brighter tuners lining the levels of the garage. There were so many scantily-clad women at the event that they probably out-numbered the actual racers.

He made it to the top tier that was right below the roof and cruised through the crowd, looking for anyone who looked to be running the shindig. He found a short, black kid selling sneakers nearby and figured he'd know how to get a race going.

"Yo, kid!" he called out to the young man, who was trying desperately to pick up a few girls. The boy looked over to Dom and excused himself.

"Whatcha need? I got Nike, Jordan, Reebok … the biggest size I have is tens though. You look like you might have a bigger-"

"Chill out, man," Dom stopped the rambling. "I don't want shoes. I want a race. The best out here."

"Sorry, homie. No races, we just partying for tonight."

"Look, I'm just testing my ride. Han wouldn't turn me away."

The mention of Han seemed to change his mind.

"You know Han?" he asked solemnly.

"Grew up with him. Seen him a few months ago, we were working together," Dom clinched his teeth at the emotions he felt for one of his oldest friends. "Can I get a race or what?"

Dom waited while the kid got him an opponent. He could see why Han came back to this city time and time again; it was intriguing. The cars looked incredible and the women even better. Thankfully, the hustler came back and interrupted Dom's unholy thoughts.

"You're up against the D.K," he leaned in Dom's window.

Dom pulled to the line and waited. He was happy he had some experience in drifting, thanks to Han. Dom knew the car type just by the sound of the engine – Skyline. Impressive. He was even more impressed to see it wasn't actually a Nissan, but a Ford Mustang GT with a Skyline engine. _Great taste, kid_, Dom thought as the flawless beauty pulled up beside him.

"Nice ride," the country accent surprised Dom.

"Got it from Han a few years back."

"I didn't know Han was into muscle."

"He was when he was rolling with me," Dom replied, remembering Han's first car – a '68 Dodge Dart.

The D.K. nodded and revved his engine, a smile playing on his lips.

"You know this ain't no ten-second race, right?"

Dom chuckled and buckled himself in, "I've got nothing but time."

The drivers prepared for the duel, both facing the gorgeous girl in front of the cars. Dom got serious and put his game face on for his first drifting race. As soon as the young woman's hand dropped, the cars flew off the line, speeding past her. Dominic's Road Runner, also known as Hammer, jumped out to an early lead, zooming down the straight-stretch to the first curve. Yanking the E-brake, Dom coasted his long vehicle around the narrow curve, not surprised that the D.K was able to beat him out of the curb. Dom had to play catch-up on the second straight-a-way, not used to seeing another car's taillights. Upon the second turn, Dom finally timed it right and ripped the emergency-brake again, drifting his long car with ease past the new Drift King.

Dom thought about his life and how it resembled the anxiety and wild ride of a drift race. The many twists and turns the direction of his life took could only be described as hectic. He lost many battles along the way and several good men, recently including Han. His team was broken at one point but they managed to overcome all the obstacles. Dominic nearly lost the love of his life, his precious fiance Letty. But she was giving him a reason to live again: his unborn child. He would become a first-time father any day now and that feeling could only be compared to drifting by one term – victory.

As they came into the last straight-stretch of the race, Dominic looked over at his competitor. The kid had a determined look on his face as if he was racing for his life. He wasn't a bad driver, that's for sure and he deserved to shine in front of his peers. Dom dropped gears just in time to let the kid surpass his car over the finish line. For the first time in his life, Dominic felt pride after losing a race. Sure, he could've easily won and humiliated the man in front of his fans, but for once Dom was taking the backseat and letting someone else take the spotlight.

_Letty would call me a pansy if she saw me giving up a win_, he thought, turning his car around to return to face his loss. On the other hand, his father Tony would be proud of his new found selflessness.

He received a standing ovation from the crowd as he slowly exited the car. The surprise reception made him feel like he was back home in L.A.

"Shit is really backwards over here," he said aloud.

"My name is Sean Boswell. That's Twinkie right there, and my girl, Neela," the boy introduced he and his friends. "I'm from Los Angeles so I know a lot about who you are. We just think it's cool to have a legend like you here."

Dom smiled and nodded. Sean stepped closer to Dom for discretion.

"That's why I would've loved it more to beat you. On my own. Without your help."

"Look. I'm getting out of the game in a week or two. The only way out for me is to lose honorably. And since I rarely lose, I'd be doing this shit 'til I was a granddad. Besides, I didn't wanna come to your country and dethrone the new king. That'd be rude," Dom chuckled, receiving oohs from the crowd.

"These races a lot harder than driving in a straight line. But even a pro such as yourself should be able to pick up this up," Sean countered.

"Kid, I could wipe my ass with you all over this city if I wanted too," Dominic answered arrogantly.

"Well let's go right now, big shot. Quarter-mile race, just me and you," said a hyped-up Sean. He wanted a piece of the King of LA and his Road Runner straight up.

"Next time, buddy. I have a pregnant lady waiting at home for me."

Dom turned and walked to his car, grinning at Sean's resilience. It was admirable.

"Hey Dominic!" Sean's voice stopped him as he was sliding in his car. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Anytime you're in Japan and you need anything, including getting your ass kicked, you got a family with us. I'm sure Han would've wanted that."

Dom didn't reply, but nodded and slid in his car completely and powered up the engine. He gave the crowd a huge burnout before peeling out of the parking garage.

* * *

**_Three days later..._**

Dom and Letty were outside on their balcony that overlooked the colorful city, enjoying each other's company.

"It's so quiet without them," Letty broke the silence. She hated not having the ruckus of the boys and the comfort of the ladies around.

"Letty, I miss them too. I miss pulling V off of Leon after they had gotten too drunk. I miss watching you fighting Mia off of you after trying to paint your nails. Hell, I even miss Daisy and Kameron. And after little DT is born, we'll go visit the family."

"Dominic, after she's born, she's going to need some stability, ya know? We're going to need to have an actual home … in a good neighborhood … with schools nearby."

"I won't have to drive a mini-van, will I?" he teased, receiving an elbow in the side.

"I'm serious, Dom. We aren't gonna be able to jump countries like we have been. We are going to have to be … dare I say it … normal."

The two adults shuddered at the idea of being average. They had never done anything average in their lives.

"Where do you want to live then? Anywhere you want, we'll go and settle down."

Letty thought for a moment. It was a huge decision to make for them; to find a place they'll call home and live like regular people, raising their first child together. She couldn't think of any place better to be than with her family, but Dom, Mia, and Brian were still wanted for his prison escape and their connection to the murder of the DEA agents and it was still too dangerous to be in the same country together.

"I've always wanted to see what Germany was like," she said with a shrug.

"Then Berlin, Germany it is. I heard they have a pretty cool military setup there."

Letty knew that tone in his voice. It was the same he had when he came home with the idea for the semi heist and the tanker heist. He was up to no good.

"Jesus, Dom. I mean it; no extra bullshit. We're comfortable now. Millionaires. We don't need to do anymore jobs," her voice was stern. "Hell, next thing you know we'll be jacking their military convoy's for kicks."

There was an awkward silence as they both thought of what it would be like. Dom gave her a hearty laugh. He couldn't lie – it would be one hell of an adrenaline rush.

"Relax. I remember my mom used to talk about living in Germany when she was little. She was an army brat, so they bounced around from different places. Berlin was her favorite," he thought, smiling at the thought of his mother, whom he lost at the tender age of eleven to breast cancer. "Our baby will be safe with us, no matter where we live. I will protect the two of you until my heart stops beating," he pulled her into his lap and kissed her just as the sun was setting on the city.

_Later that night..._

"Dommie," Letty nudged a sleeping Dom carefully. "Dom, baby, it's time to go."

Dom stirred slowly until he opened his eyes, noticing Letty fully dressed in her maternity attire.

"It's really time?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Well I guess she's a little anxious to meet the fam," Letty smirked. A grimace was followed by another painful contraction. She yanked the blankets off his body and into the floor. "Get the hell up Dom and get me to a hospital now."

Dom finally sprinted into action, pulling on some jeans and a shirt and running out to the Lexus. He picked up his phone and called the boys, giving them the same message - "it's time". He started the car and made sure it was warm enough before returning to the house. He grabbed their baby bag and waited for Letty at the door.

He smiled as she waddled towards him with a nervous face. She was a lot bigger now, finally fitting the look of a nine-month pregnant woman.

"A real man would help his pregnant fiance to the car, asshole," she griped as she struggled down the porch stairs. Dom scooped her up with no effort and carried her to their family car. The Lexus was completely restored to a new finish, equipped with an empty car seat in the spacious back.

Dom rushed them to the hospital in record time. A drive that would take the average driver almost fourty-five minutes took Dom less than twenty. He slammed the ride in park and ran to the other side of the car, lifting Letty out and carrying her towards the ER entrance.

"Miss Letty, it is finally time, huh?" her doctor, a kind Japanese man with a gentle smile, greeted her.

"No time for small talk, doc. Get this heathen out of me," she snarled with a fake smile.

"Ah, your personality makes you my favorite for a reason," he replied, taking her vitals as her nurse timed her contractions. "Looks like the contractions about six minutes apart. It's time for you to have a baby."

"Oh ya think?" Letty snapped, squeezing a silent Dom's hand painfully.

Dom gave him an apologetic smile, which the doctor waved off. He was used to dealing with grouchy pregnant women on a daily basis and Letty wasn't an exception.

Three hours later, Dom sat at Letty's bedside while she rested, cradling a small bundle in his arms. Pulling the blanket back, he smiled at the large brown eyes that looked back up at him. She had his eyes and virtually everything else was Letty. The baby, fittingly named Catalina Briana Toretto, had a head full of curly hair and an olive tone to her skin. She was a small baby at six pounds, seven ounces, but she was his. She didn't cause Letty any problems during the delivery, which made Dom question which side of the family she would take after.

"Now your first name is Catalina, after my mother. She would have loved to see this, her first born holding his first child," Dom spoke softly to her about his mother. She was a huge part of his life and he was devastated when she passed away when he and Mia were just children. "And your middle name is Briana, after your uncle Brian. He's married to your Aunt Mia. Brian helped saved you and your mommy. He's been a big pain in my ass for the past six years, but he's also helped saved this family from every evil that's come to us."

"I swear, in a past life you and Brian were lovers," Letty's voice startled him. "And don't curse."


	28. Epilogue Part 2

**A/N: Ok, so when I wrote this last chapter, I had no idea it was as long as it turned out. So it seems I will be splitting this final chapter into two parts.**

**Epilogue Pt. 2-The High Life**

It was a warm night in the bustling city of San Juan, Puerto Rico and the gathering of locals outside of the city's newest night club were getting antsy. They were awaiting the opening of the nightclub 'Club Jetta', where they hoped to spend all of their money and time enjoying themselves. The nightclub got a lot of buzz around the city before it was even built and the party-goers were hoping it wasn't just hype.

Inside, the co-owner was having another shot at the bar, anxiously waiting for his partner to arrive so they could open the club together.

"You need to slow down. It's not very professional greeting your fans wasted," the lead bartender, Kameron, said to her boyfriend, Vince.

"I'm fine," he replied, "Where the hell is Leon? I told him to be on time."

"Probably at home fighting with Daise over who looks better," Kameron said, taking a shot of her own. "I told you he was too irresponsible for this."

"Why are you always badmouthing me?" Leon's voice frightened both of them. They turned to find him and Daisy there after having crept through the back personnel door. "Sorry, traffic. The place looks crazy outside. And for your information, I think I look better," he spun, showing off his gray Armani suit.

"You wish," Daisy scoffed, flaunting her curvy body in a red strapless bandage dress and matching peep-toe Giuseppe pumps.

"I agree with her," both Vince and Kameron said simultaneously.

"Whatever," Le waived off, "Have any of you heard from Mia or Brian yet?"

"I talked to Mia a little bit ago. She said they were dropping the runt off at my mom's, then they'd be here," Kameron answered.

"I'll tell ya, Theresa is one strong woman for watching two kids and a dog," Vince said, shaking his head. "Well, Leon … let's go make magic happen."

The ladies moved upstairs while Vince and Leon walked to the entrance doors. They opened them together, smiling at the people as they quickly filled up the nightclub. Dozens of people went straight to the dance floor, grooving to the mix of Spanish/Hip-Hop music, while others instantly hit the bar where four other bartenders were waiting. Everything seemed to jump off to a nice start for the club and things could only get better from here.

"You two mind getting off of each other for a while? Geez, you'd think you were trying for baby number two," Daisy scoffed as she entered the VIP section that overlooked the entire club. It was decked out with several bottles of champagne and ice buckets filled with Coronas. Dom and Letty were already there, dressed in their flashiest attire and making out like teenagers.

"Well excuse me if Leon's not giving you any," Dom retorted.

"Oh I'm getting plenty," she replied, grabbing a beer to start her off. "But I'm not ready to puke yet so if you don't mind..."

"Actually, I do. When there is a very rambunctious one year-old in your home, you don't really have time for sex," Letty replied, combing her hand through her hair. It had been some time since she and Dom had an actual night alone and he was making her way too hot for public. She needed to get him home soon.

"Well, now isn't the time," Kameron entered with a tray of shots for the gang.

"What the hell guys? You act like you've never seen people kiss before."

"Are Tego and Rico gonna make it? I know they said they couldn't leave the restaurant with no authority right now," Leon asked as he and Vince joined everyone in their private area.

"Nah, they're going to be way too busy." Dom said.

"I still can't believe they have the hottest restaurant in the DR. Never saw that coming," Leon scoffed; he was surprised that they turned out such a success when they both were awful cooks.

"More liquor for me," Daisy shrugged, popping one of the champagne bottles open.

"How the hell did we beat Roman and Tej here? We just saw them at a stop-light ten minutes ago," Brian questioned as he and Mia made their presence known.

"I guess Roman still can't drive," Letty sniped lowly.

"Or worse … Tej is driving," Vince joked.

"Hardy har!" Tej's voice came from behind, "Roman got a fucking ticket trying to catch up to Brian."

Roman rolled his eyes and ripped up the ticket, tossing it in the trash.

"Hey man, you might wanna pay that. Gotta keep the heat off you," said Brian.

"It's cool. Fake ID," Roman said, showing it off. "Let's start drinking man. It's so much potential in here, I'm definitely getting some tonight."

Kameron did her duties and passed out shots to each of them, everyone holding their glasses up for a toast. It was the first time the whole gang had been back together since their time in Rio. Some of them met up for the birth of Mia and Brian's son Jaxson Earl O'Connor, now seven months old. The Team agreed to fly in for the opening night of Vince and Leon's club, which coincided with Dom and Letty's wedding week. The duo figured Puerto Rico was as great as any place to marry, especially now that they were all together. Kameron's mother, Theresa, offered to watch Lina, Jaxson, and Dom's seven month-old black lab puppy Chevy for the night while the adults played.

Everyone was up to their own new adventures now that they were millionaires and out of the spotlight. Vince and Leon convinced Kameron to toss some money into the club venue, which was guaranteed to double or triple each of their investments. Daisy and her brother Julius were back on good terms and decided to open a four-lane track for street racers on the island. Roman was determined he wasn't going to work for as long as he could, and he didn't, but he spent plenty of time at junk-car derbies, a hobby he enjoyed while on house arrest. Tej opened a new garage on the outskirts of southern Mexico and Tego and Rico were owners of a highly-rated Dominican restaurant in Costa Rico. Mia and Brian quickly moved to Goa, India and prepared for the birth of their first child. Mia served as a stay-at-home mother and Brian worked as a part-time expert mechanic for a car-developing company in the neighboring city of Bandora.

As for Dom and Letty, their journey took them all around the globe. They were currently residing in a suburb in Berlin, Germany with their child and new pet. Dom found Chevy in an abandoned alley near a food market and begged Letty to let him keep her. Neither of them worked; they preferred to take on the parenting role full-time together. Now they actually felt like a _normal_ family. Nobody knew their pasts; only that they were cordial neighbors Dom – the nice handyman whom the local kids watched in his garage daily, and Letty – the sweet woman who spent most of her time playing in her yard with Lina. Dom and Letty seemed innocent on unknowing eyes. Now that the Rio disaster along with the train robbery investigation went cold, their anxiety soon faded. They were able to take their daughter to the park without looking over their shoulders.

They were all starting new lives, some on new identities and they couldn't have done it without the help of the late Hernan Reyes.

"So have you guys found a place for the wedding yet?" Mia asked her brother and sister-in-law.

Dom's face immediately beamed at the talk of his wedding. They had already decided on a small ceremony with just the Team and some friends present, and he couldn't wait to see Letty in her dress.

"Not yet. Mrs. Indecisive can't stick with a location. As of right now, it's going to be near the ocean. That's about it."

"You guys know we live in front of the most beautiful area of the Caribbean right? We can set up right out back," Leon offered to his friends.

"Yeah, it's beautiful out there," Daisy added.

Dom looked to Letty and shrugged. It was a great gesture, and it was right on the ocean. She gave him a bright smile in reply.

"Holy shit, your wedding is this week and you guys didn't even have a place? Letty, please tell me you have a dress..." Mia waited for the horrendous response she knew she'd get. Letty was always a procrastinator.

"Nope." she said simply. "You know there would be no way I could pick out a dress without you. You had to help me pick out my Quinces dress."

Mia squealed with excitement and the wedding bliss began. The ladies went on about the wedding and all of the preparations while the boys started to play. Tej and Roman went on the prowl for women while Leon showed Brian around the place. Dom and Vince leaned against the railing, looking down onto the busy dancefloor.

"Can you believe it man? We struggled so hard to get here, brother. We didn't have shit growing up, and now look at us," Vince said, holding his arms out wide. "We live like kings now."

"Funny how things turn out, huh?" Dom responded with a smile, his fingers dangling a Corona over the railing. "I just wish Jesse coulda held on a little longer to enjoy this with us. Kid would've loved this life. "

"No way man, I'm glad the kid got out when he did. This world is too cruel for Jess. This place couldn't handle the greatness that kid was going to bring."

Dom nodded in agreement. Jesse deserved a lot better than what L.A, or the world could give him.

"So how's the baby thing coming? Are you shooting with an empty gun or what, my friend?"

"Ugh, not good. Doctor's are gonna start her tests next week to see if it's her eggs that are fucked, not my 'count'. We're gonna keep trying though," Vince replied, speaking on his and Kam's inability to conceive. They had been trying for months now with no luck to have a baby and it was breaking Vince's heart.

"Don't worry, she'll be knocked up in no time," Dom smiled, smacking him on the back.

"What about you? How's fatherhood treating you?"

Dom's smile grew at the thought of his pride and joy, Lina. "She's amazing, man. Letty get jealous cause she's such a daddy's girl. And she's so sweet, V. It's hard to think Letty and I could create something so innocent."

Dom continued to gush about his daughter until he noticed how distant V looked during the talk. It was clearly bothering him, the fact that his best friends were able to enjoy fatherhood while he and his girlfriend struggled to even get pregnant. Dominic decided to change the subject.

"So what's next business man? I'm surprised Leon didn't talk you into a strip club."

"We tried, but Kam and Daisy held out until we changed our minds."

"If I still know you two, I'd say you didn't get any for a while," Dom teased, tipping his bottle to his mouth.

"Shit, two months," Vince said, still ripe about the sex-less nights. "But we settled. Anyways … there is another job."

"No. _Hell_ no," Dom stopped him before he got started. During their daily phone conversations, Vince would try to persuade him into some half-ass scheme with small payouts. He declined each time. He couldn't picture being on the run again; watching his daughter grow up safe and happy was priceless. "Enough of this, V. We're not stirring anymore shit up."

"Just hear me out, brother. It's a close to home job. Berlin," he started but was cut off again.

"Fuck no! Vince, we have real lives now. Berlin is the only place I can take care of my family without FBI breathing down my back. I'm. Not. Doing. It," his last four words were meant to be final, without another work spoken about it. "Look at this place, Vincent. You have a great life now, why would you wanna mess that up?"

"Because 250 million dollars is a lot to pass up."

Dom's breath hitched a little at the amount of money up for grabs. But he still wasn't convinced.

"Not worth my daughter or my fiance's safety. Count me out."

"One job. A simple snatch-and-grab on a truck. We need just four drivers and someone on the scanners. Just like old times," Vince continued to explain even though Dom seemingly ignored him. "Come on, Dom. No matter how much you two play house, you know what you're good at. You won't ever be a normal guy no matter how hard you try. You won't ever have a regular job. You won't ever be able to vote, or hell, little Catalina won't even be able to go to a good college because big bad daddy couldn't say no to the cash."

By now, Vince was invading Dom's space as he whispered viciously into his ear.

Dom snapped. He grabbed his friend by the suit and slammed him against he railing. One wrong move and Vince would be splattered all over his new dance floor.

"Don't speak about my kid that way. I'm saying no now. I have already made her life hard enough. I'm not going to ruin it anymore for your stupidity. Do what you want, but don't call me when you're sitting in a jail cell in some foreign country."

"Damn," Vince paused, "I guess that married pussy is better than millions of dollars in cash."

Dom shoved in to Vince, dangling his head over the railing. He was fuming at the nonsense V was talking and by looking into his eyes, he could tell Vince was already intoxicated.

"Dom, what are you doing?" Letty yelled as she and Mia walked into the private area.

"Nothing," he let V go, keeping his angry eyes fixed on him. "V is just a little too drunk."

"Congrats, Let. You got what you wanted all along. A _real_ family man," Vince snarled, storming past the girls and down the stairs.

"What the hell was that all about?" Mia questioned her brother as he stared daggers at Vince's back.

"Nothing important. Let's dance."

* * *

Dom and Brian were relaxed on the sand in just swimming trunks, enjoying cold beers and the warm sun as they watched Mia instruct Vince and Leon on where to set up the chairs and gazebo. Letty stood off to the side, helping little Lina build sandcastles. Dom watched his girls with adoration, unable to believe how gentle Letty was with this child. Dom had never seen Letty around children and often wondered what she'd be like once Lina was born. He was surprised to see the kindhearted, loving side of Letty that she didn't like showing to everyone.

"So I take it from your distance that Vince brought up the job," Brian asked, keeping his eyes on Mia. He liked watching her boss the boys around.

"God, not you too?"

"Are you crazy? Mia would kill me," Brian shook his head feverishly. "But it doesn't sound bad. Two-hundred and fifty million split up five ways is a lot of money, Dom. That'd last a hell of a lot longer than five and a half did. Try fifty million each."

Dom didn't like the heist talk, but he didn't snap like the previous time it was mentioned. Instead, he thought of Vince's words from two days ago. No matter how drunk or belligerent he was, Vincent was right. Catalina would never have a normal life as long as her parents were Dom and Letty. Her family was notorious thieves; there wasn't anyway she'd get into a good college or get a respectable job. The only way to get ahead in the world without people asking questions was to have money – and a lot of it. He had to face the fact that the six million he and Letty had left wasn't going to last until Lina went off to college.

"You think this deal is legit? I mean, what do you even know other than the payout?"

"Not much. Just that it's a four-man job, something with a Russian mob."

"No fucking way I'm getting into that," Dom stood, making up his mind. "You can throw your freedom away for some suicide mission if you want. I've already been there and I ain't going back."

Dom turned his back, wanting to be away from Brian's madness. Dom was convinced that he would go on the straight-and-narrow and stick to budgeting until he could pick up a legit job. He wasn't getting back into a life of crime, no matter how much his mind told him that the fifty million dollars was worth it.

He stopped suddenly and turned to Brian, "Fifty million huh?"

Brian smiled wide and raised his beer to Dom, "Fifty million big ones, bro."


	29. Epilogue Part 21

**WOW; I know the wait was out of control, but I finally have the final chapter up. I've been in between moving and having no laptop to finish, hence why it's JUST NOW getting up.**

**Epilogue Part 2.1- Wedding Bliss**

_Two black Lamborghini Reventon Spyders were spotted on an military base's camera speeding through the wet and rocky terrain towards the compound. Luckily, the two armed guards assigned to watch the cameras were currently unconscious thanks to some chloroform and two stealthy masked-men. The Lamborghinis spun around at lightening speeds, reversing their back bumpers to the bumpers of two military convoys._

"_I got nothing on the scanners. You guys have a four-minute window starting now. You better move your asses or we're all dead," Leon said as he watched the military jeep in charge of guarding the base take off for it's rounds._

_Dom and Brian crept alongside the command tower that overlooked the base. They watched two guards abandon their post after a report of two suspicious vehicles left parked outside the compound. Dom and Brian took over, standing in front of the high-tech security system._

"_There they are," Brian pointed to the screen._

_Two bodies in black masks exited their sports cars and hooked the convoy's to the back of their own rides. _

"_Alright guys, wait for my word," Dominic said through his two-way. He and Brian removed each video recording of the robbery in progress and tucked them into their pockets. On the way out, they grabbed a load of keys from the wall, hoping to find the ones for the trucks._

_Suddenly, an earth-shattering alarm rang out, alerting the troops and other guards of an intrusion. Dom ran back to the cameras, to watch dozens of armed guards and uniformed troops marching quickly out to the trucks._

"_Guys, hook 'em. We'll be down in fifteen seconds. Be ready, cause the entire fucking base is coming your way."_

"_Hey! Stop right there!" a guard armed with a machine gun pointed his weapon at Brian and Dom. Dom fired his AK-47 first, nailing the guard in his knee. He blew out the other leg, which bought he and Brian enough time to get into the jeeps. On Dom's count of three, they rammed the trucks in reverse as the Lambo's took off, propelling all four cars down the road out of the compound._

"_Letty, just keep pushing baby. It's only a mile left and we're gonna be living a lot richer. A lot better," he cooed through his two-way._

"_Yeah, how about we worry about getting past the fucking brigade in front of us first?" she replied, watching as several other convoys sped towards them head-on._

_Dom and Brian leaned out of the windows of their trucks and fired off at the angry militants on their tails. They had enough ammunition in the convoy's to take out every soldier, but it was hard to do that at ninety miles an hour on a wet, rocky road._

"_Oh shit, Dom," Leon hollered, "You got like the whole fucking army headed your way. It's not looking good, bro."_

"_Yeah, well this information would have been helpful a few minutes ago," Dom replied, frustrated with Leon dropping the ball. _

_He leaned his torso out the window and fired at the tires of the pursuing jeeps, launching them into the air and off the road, one-by-one. Brian followed his lead, shooting his weapon at another car and causing it to careen off the road into a wall._

"_Big problems, Dom. If we stay hooked, I won't be able to get us past those trucks. It's too many of them, D. We gotta drop the trucks."_

"_No fucking way, Let. We can do this. We need this, guys."_

"_Dom, listen to your wife. We won't make it out alive if we don't drop those fucking trucks. We can still get away if we do it now," V added his advice._

"_Both of you, shut up! Letty, unhook and get out of there. You too, Vince," Dom yelled._

"_No way, brother. Can't leave a man behind. Even if it is the buster."_

"_He's right, Vince. You two unhook while you still can. We can handle these guys," Brian said from his 125,000 dollar convoy._

_Letty and Vince hit their retraction buttons for the wire just attached to the jeeps just as Brian and Dom slammed on their breaks, releasing the lines off the convoys and propelling the Spyders forward. Both jeeps kept in reverse, trying to hightail it back to the city backwards. _

_Dom kept his eyes on Letty's car while driving, not concerned with her skills at all. He knew she could nearly outrun anyone, including him and especially in a pricey sports car._

"_Alright guys, plant the strips!"_

_Two Russian men appeared from each side of the road and tossed out spike-strips just as the brigade traveled closer. The military weapons zoomed across the spikes, taking out the first two trucks easily. The trucks steered off-course and unfortunately the Russian help standing on the sidelines were both taken out by the vehicles._

"_Shit! We just lost Yorgi and Novak, Dom," Letty said as she noticed they were smack-dab in the middle of a head-on disaster. "Running out of road, Dominic!"_

"_Brian, turn it around," he ordered as he quickly spun his jeep around as if it were a tuner. Brian followed his lead, both cars facing a load of pissed-off German soldiers. "Letty, relax. Can you guys go under?"_

"_Fuck that!" Vince replied, jumping off the road and driving on the grassy plains alongside it. He tried to speed past the trucks and hoped to get around them, but the extensive amount of weaponry proved to be too much for the Lamborghini to handle. It exploded after taking a barrage of bullets from the convoys, sending a fireball into the air._

"_Vince! Letty, go under. You can make it baby. We dropped them for this reason. Go on. I got your back," Dom said, readying the rocket launchers the Russians equipped them with. "Letty! Now!"_

_Letty hopped the curve just in time to dodge the missile that Dom launched, taking out the first convoy truck. She hopped back on the road and drove under the second one just as it was hit by another destructive missile. As she slid beneath the undercarriage of the car, she looked up through the sunroof at the fiery wreck just above her head._

_Letty made it under with no problem … except when the smoke and fire cleared. Dom watched the love of his life crash head-on into a third jeep, swiping the Lambo off the road. He watched her car roll three times before the smoking hunk of metal stopped a couple yards away._

"_Letty!" Dominic didn't hesitate to stop his convoy instantly. He jumped out and stumbled to the scene, tears streaming down his cheeks. He had a surreal glimmer of hope when she lifted her head and looked at him, a smile growing on her bloody lips. Dom's eyes glowed from the flames that were sprouting from the engine. He made a move for the car but it exploded, pushing him further away from the blaze. "Leticia!" he dropped to his knees and cried heavily, completely ignoring the troops with guns surrounding him and pulling Brian from his jeep. He was numb to the hand shoving him to the ground, or the handcuffs being forced around his wrists. He couldn't break his eyes away from the carnage that had claimed his wife's life._

"_I'm so sorry, Letty."_

* * *

Dom flinched out of his deep slumber, a thin sheet of sweat covered his body. He couldn't tell if it were tears or sweat that drenched his face. When his grogginess wore off, he realized he was alone in his bed, Letty's spot next to him replaced by a folded letter with his name on it.

_Hey baby. Mia and the glamour squad kidnapped Lina and I so you're on your own for breakfast. Please make sure you walk and** feed** little Cujo. By the way, you owe me a pair of heels because she decided to use my new ones as a late-night snack. Some training you did with her._

_You know my size, and they better not be cheap. Ass._

_I love you and I'll see you later as Mrs. Leticia Guadalupe Ortiz-Toretto_

_-Letty_

Dom smiled wide at the note and looked down at his puppy Chevy at the foot of the bed, one of Letty's shoes still in her mouth as she slept. Dom allowed her to continue sleeping as he moved to the shower to rid his body and mind of his nightmares. He couldn't, however, get the cheeky grin off his face the entire morning. He couldn't believe today was the big day. He would finally marry the only woman he'd ever loved. Do right by her just like his father always told him too.

He wrapped a towel around his waist loosely as he stepped out of the shower, his foot landing on a pink plastic pony. He grimaced in agony at the sharp pain and picked up the nuisance. Dom's anger quickly diminished at the thought of his little girl taking a bath with it the night before. She was a complete angel in his eyes and he could never stay mad at her for too long.

Dom fed and bathed the black lab pup before getting dressed himself in his wedding attire – loose khaki slacks and a long-sleeve white button down. He slipped on flip-flops that he would soon kick off as they agreed on a barefoot wedding. He and Letty weren't all about suits, dresses, and flashy clothes; it brought too much attention. Dom gathered his vows and ring and exited the guest home they were inhabiting.

"Look who it is … family man," Vince greeted nastily as Dom and Chevy walked into his home. The two friends were still on bad terms but Dom wasn't going to let Vince's attitude ruin his mood. It was his day and Vince acting like a brat wasn't going to spoil it. Dominic ignored Vince and entered the kitchen, where Brian was cooking breakfast for the men.

"You ready to give yourself away today? You know that automatically revokes your player card right?" Tej said with a smile.

Dominic chuckled and flicked a piece of bacon in his mouth. "Tej, I haven't _seen_ my player card since L.A. Hell, Let and I are already practically married. Just making it official."

"Let's enjoy celebratory shots," Roman said, reaching for the tequila but Dom shook his head.

"I'm not kissing my bride with liquor breath," he said.

"You won't have to," Brian said, holding up a pack of gum, "Rome, pour the shots."

Each of them grabbed a glass and touched them together.

"To losing your player card," Leon teased.

"To losing your manhood," Vince smirked. He was happy for his friend, regardless of his selfishness.

"But to gaining a good woman and great sex. Something you all clearly are missing," Dom smiled as they clinked their shots together.

"Let's go get you married," Brian said with a pat on the back.

**-x-**

"Mia, could you ease up with the hairspray? You're killing us," Daisy said as the powder room inside her home grew smokey and unbearable.

"It's her wedding day. Everything as to be perfect," Mia reasoned, stepping back to admire her work.

Letty finally put her hands up when she came back at her with another can, stopping the carnage. "You're done. No point in killing all of us when Dom's just gonna ruin it in about five hours anyways."

"Ew, too much information around my niece," Mia said, scooping up Catalina and covering her tiny ears.

"Oh please. She's very aware of who her family is. She's heard everything all before," Letty took a deep breath, then turned to her friends for their reaction to the finalized project.

"You look stunning, girl," Kameron said, smiling.

"Yeah, you clean up pretty nice," Daisy added.

They weren't exaggerating; Letty did look immaculate in her knee-length white summer dress. Her hair was down in ringlets around her face and her make-up was done light, with just a little mascara and lip gloss to do the trick. She wore pearls around her neck given to her by Maria Guzman. Letty was never the type for dresses and pearls, but for this momentous occasion she would deal.

"Let's go get married, baby," Letty smiled at her mini-me in Mia's arms.

* * *

Out on the beach, friends and family filled the chairs on the sand that faced a beautifully-decorated gazebo and ocean backdrop. Everyone was dressed nicely, even though it was a casual wedding. They left their shoes inside, making it the first shoeless wedding anyone of them had attended. Mia went all out for her brother's wedding, having beautiful lilies and pink hibiscus flowers lining the gazebo and the chairs. She enlisted in Maria and Theresa's help in cooking a huge meal for the event; Theresa convinced her that no catering could replace a nice home-cooked meal. The smell of fried chicken and sweet potato pie lingered over the gathering and the men couldn't wait to get the wedding over with.

Dom stood under the gazebo next to the minister and Vince, waiting patiently for his bride.

"You got the ring, right?" he whispered to his best man, Vince.

"What ring?" Vince said seriously. Dom turned to him with fear and anger flushing on his face. "Relax, big guy," he pulled the diamond beauty from his pocket and reassured his friend. "Chill out, man. You're acting like you're marrying the Queen of England. It's just Letty."

"Is this what you felt like when you were jumping on those semis?" Dom was a nervous wreck and he knew Letty would notice. She knew him better than anyone.

"No, that was easier," V smiled. He put his frustration with Dom to the side for his wedding. And … Mia threatened to castrate him if he ruined their big day. "Look, that girl is gonna love you no matter if you're married or not. But you know, all her whole life Letty's only wanted someone to be there. Everyone walked out on her, even you. Do the right thing, now."

Dom thought about Vince's words. He was right. Dom had acted just like every other person in Letty's life. Abandoned her at her lowest time. Now he had a chance to make it right, forever. To finally do right by her as she had for him so many times before.

He looked down the aisle at his bride and his heart nearly stopped. He had never seen Leticia look so stunning. She kept their eyes locked as Mr. Guzman guided her down the aisle. Dom was happy he could fly the entire Guzman family out to the wedding; he knew just how much she cared for Paco and Maria and would want them in attendance.

"Letty looks pretty good without grease covering her body," V whispered in Dom's ear. He could only grin in reply.

Mr. Guzman turned to her when they reached the gazebo and gave her a warm kiss on the cheek. She took her place next to her man and gave him a big smile. The way his dress shirt clung to his chest made her mouth water. She couldn't wait to get him out of it.

"Let's begin, shall we?" said the minister.

Dom and Letty were so enthralled in each other during the ceremony that they didn't care about the hard winds that kicked sand and water up the shore. The cool breeze nicked Letty's dress up a notch and Dom's eyes instantly went to her toned thighs. He was still attracted to her body after all those years. He looked over Letty's shoulder to see his mini-me sitting happily in the front row on Daisy's lap. He couldn't believe how much Lina favored Letty, even though she was so a Daddy's girl. Her tan skin popped against her light pink dress that matched Mia's and her curly locks rivaled Letty's. She had on her bright smile that made Dom's heart melt every time he saw it. Dom's eyes traveled to the rest of the women whom he now considered his family. Daisy and Kameron were two dedicated, loyal women who were able to ground his playboy brothers and he couldn't be more happy about it. They were exactly what Leon and Vince needed to get their heads on straight. Lastly, he looked over Letty's shoulder to his beautiful sister, who stood proud as she fought back tears. He gave her a wink, which she returned, causing her emotions to finally spill over. She mouthed 'I love you' to her big brother, a gesture he always took to heart.

Letty had to break her eyes away from the hunk of man she was about to marry; he was causing a rumble down below that she was finding hard to ignore. Looking over his shoulder, she couldn't help but chuckle at the rowdy bunch of men she called her brothers. Brian clutched young Jaxson in his arms, the happy baby drooling profusely on his daddy's hands. He was super adorable and Lina's partner in crime, the two raising hell together even at such a young age. She couldn't wait to watch the two babies (and more to come) grow up together in such a hectic family. Moving along, she smiled as Leon and Roman bickered over their dress shoes, battling over which ones looked better. _I swear, they are worse than women_, she thought to herself. Letty gave Tej a wink as he looked up from his date for the first time during the ceremony. She was a pretty girl and Tej was clearly hypnotized by her. Her eyes finally landed on Vince, who was standing as Dominic's best man. V gave her his brightest smile, a smile that always made her feel better when she was having a rough day. She was very happy the big guy was standing behind them, as always, giving them his full support.

Letty was brought back to reality when Dom grabbed her hands, holding them gently in his. He repeated after the minister, vowing to love her unconditionally for the rest of his life. She had no questions that he already did. She managed to keep her composure until he said the words she longed to hear - "I do". At that moment, she couldn't stop the flow of tears and didn't care if it would ruin her make-up.

The party watched as the power couple finally made it official as the minister introduced them as Mr. and Mrs. Dominic Anthony Toretto. Everyone stood and cheered as they made their way down the sandy aisle, waving and smiling at their big family.

Hours later after the sun set, the children were put down and the adults lounged around on the beach dimly lit by several torches. Smooth jazz played while Dom and Letty continued to dance together in a secluded area, both still riding their love high. They were inseparable the entire night and neither seemed to mind each others company.

"Normally, a newlywed couple would be on their way to their honeymoon by now," Dom whispered in her ear.

"This _is_ our honeymoon," she murmured with her head against his chest. She couldn't feel anymore relaxed with his arms around her as they swayed slowly to the background music. Dom chuckled deeply, causing butterflies to erupt in her belly.

"I was thinking somewhere a little more … private. You know, so I can do dirty, filthy things to you without Lina barging in," Dom wiggled his eyebrows when she looked up at him in shock. She knew that sultry look that he had in his eyes – he was ready to pounce on her like a gazelle. She looked in between them and down at his pants; his drill sergeant was at full attention and ready for action. "There is several miles of sand and water just waiting for my naked body. So, what the hell you still talkin' for?"

Dom's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull. He scooped her up in one swift move and began down the beach, ready to consummate one of the greatest days of his life.


End file.
